business plan 2007 – 2017 - cedar river...

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington (formerly, East Yakima Early Learning Initiative)

Business Plan 2007 – 2017

August 2007

Educational Service District 105 33 South Second Avenue

Yakima, WA 98902 (509) 575-2885

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 ii

Acknowledgements This plan is the result of the ideas, expertise and devotion of the organizations and individuals listed below. Different groups and more than 290 individuals joined the project at different times, with a broad collection of stakeholders coming together in September 2006 to provide comments on the original planning grant application. The following individuals and organizations have created a vision for what early learning can be for the children and families of East Yakima, and have demonstrated the will to make that vision a reality. Stakeholders Apple Valley Broadcasting Casey Family Programs Catholic Family and Child

Service Central Washington

Comprehensive Mental Health

Children’s Village Circle of Success Citizens for Safe Yakima

Valley Communities City of Yakima Diocese of Yakima Educational Service District

105 Enterprise for Progress in the

Community (EPIC) For a Better Tomorrow Heritage University La Casa Hogar Memorial Foundation New Vision Northwest Communities

Education Center/Radio KDNA

Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington

Parent Trust for Washington Children

People for People State Board of Education Toppenish School District Triumph Treatment Center United Way of Yakima County Washington State Department

of Early Learning Washington State Department

of Social and Health Services – Children and Family Services

Washington State Migrant Council

Yakima County Community Services

Yakima Downtown Rotary Yakima Family YMCA Yakima Health District Yakima Neighborhood Health

Services Yakima Police Department Yakima School District Yakima Schools Foundation Yakima Southeast Community

Center Yakima Southwest Rotary Yakima Sunrise Rotary Yakima Valley Community

College Yakima Valley Community

Foundation Yakima Valley Farm Workers

Clinic Yakima Valley Memorial

Hospital Yakima Valley Regional Library

EYELI/Thrive Yakima Board Business: Etoy Alford Sonja Dodge Joe Farina Murray Judge Curtis King Victor Lara Greg Luring Noel Moxley Velma Perez Doug Picatti Health: Rick Linneweh, President Carlos Oliveras Law Enforcement: Bill Almon Licensed Providers: Linda Murray Philanthropic: Al DeAtley Rhonda Dolsen Pat Temple East Yakima: Dave Hargreaves Rhonda Hauff Ester Huey Josh Huizar Steve Mitchell Bob Romero Education: Jane Gutting Cece Mahre Dr. Kathleen Ross Benjamin Soria Parents: Paulette Lopez Argelia Perez Kim Pualani

Work Groups Data Management and Needs Assessment: Chair: Vickie Ybarra; Brian Cox, Anna Marie Dufault, Alicia Jacob, Jessica Johnson, Luz Monroy (parent rep), Matthew Solomon, Kimberlee Tully, Michael Vachon Facilities and Construction: Chair: Jake Jundt; Walt Abegglen, Jim Aberle, Henry Beauchamp, Sonja Dodge, Charlie Eglin, Josie Hernandez, Karen Lee, Mary Jo Mengarelli, Don Moen, Michael Moen, Bob Romero, Luis Serrano (parent rep), Randy Town Family and Parent: Chair: Becky Scholl; Lorenzo Alvarado, Susan Cowin, Carole Folsom-Hill, Ricardo Garcia, Sonia Garcia (parent rep), Adrianne Garner, Celina Garza, Lori Gibbons, Yolanda Gonzalez (parent rep), Teresa Hernandez (parent rep), Gloria Hilsinger, Tracie Day Hoppis, Karen Krantz, Cindy Maib-Robinson, Teresa Mendoza-Casby (parent rep), Teodora Nares (parent rep), Raymond Navarro, Kimberley Pualani, Maria Ramirez (parent rep), Jennifer Renteria-Lopez (parent rep), Rosemary Salinas, Lisa Souers, Jennifer Tate, Manuel Villafan, Gretchen Waschke Integrated Services: Chair: Diane Patterson; Ann Allen, Darlene Darnell, Jose DeLeon, Rhonda Hauff, Steve Hill, Sharon Kiehn, Joyce McCormick (Yakima County Interagency Coordinating Council representative), Patti Nagle, Aurora Pena-Torres (parent rep), Linda Sellstad, Elizabeth Torres (parent rep), Monica Weyhe, Veronica Williams (parent rep) Perinatal and Infant/Toddler: Chair: Gail Weaver; Julie Bremerman, Sonia Garcia (parent rep), Mary Hart, Kristi Hartman, Lisa Hefner, Cynthia Juarez, Pat Kramper, Araceli Manjarrez (parent rep), Gerri Miller, Teresa Moreno (parent rep), Blanca Nunez (parent rep), Marilyn Van Oostrum Philanthropic, Business and Communication: Chair: Anne Caffery; Shelley Desmarais, Barbara Greco, Dave Hargreaves, Curtis King, Nancy Leahy, Bertha Lopez, Margaret Marik, Elizabeth McGree, Michael Morales, Mike Morrisette, Amy Peters, Leticia Pulido (parent rep), Bob Romero, Lynda Sissom, Maria Suarez (parent rep), Julie Toney, Elizabeth Torres (parent rep), Gail Wright Pre-School (3-5 years): Chair: Stacey Drake; Lynn Biggs, Clara Eustis, Lynn Harlington, Nancy Leahy, Enedina Licea (parent rep), Jackie McPhee, Andie Olson, Argelia Perez (parent rep), Sondra Pieti, Elisa Powell, Maria Consuelo Ventura (parent rep), Kathy O’Meara Wyman, Dana Ziemba Professional Development: Chair: Karri Livingston; Angela Abrams, Camille Becker, Gloria Garate (parent rep), Linda Henjum, Armida Heredia (parent rep), Teresa Hernandez (parent rep), Rhea Lewis, Glenda Orgill, Elizabeth Torres (parent rep), Joan Towell, Peggy Urlacher, Yuridiana Zagal (parent rep) ESD 105 and EYELI/Thrive Yakima Staff Jane Gutting, ESD 105 Superintendent,

Governance and Community Engagement Kay Gutierrez, Human Resources Dave Curry, Assistant Superintendent, Fiscal

Services David Reynolds, CPA David Goehner, Communications Officer Mike Vashon, Chief Information Officer

Sylvia Severn, Interim Executive Director for EYELI

Elizabeth Gonzalez, Administrative Secretary Joe Payne, Fiscal Manager Mary Lou Shefsky, Data Administrator Eve Valdivia, Parent Ombudsperson Consultant for business plan: Cedar River Group

(John Howell and Rhonda Peterson)

Please direct correspondence to: Dr. Jane M. Gutting, Superintendent

Educational Service District 105, 33 South Second Avenue, Yakima, Washington 98908 509-575-2885 or [email protected]

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 iii

Contents Abbreviations and Terms............................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 5 I. Community Context, Needs and Strengths.................................................................................. 6

A. East Yakima Target Area and Its People ............................................................................... 6 B. School Readiness and Current Early Learning System........................................................ 10 C. Services and Supports for Parents........................................................................................ 15 D. Community Strengths and Values........................................................................................ 18

II. Process for Developing the Plan .............................................................................................. 20 A. Formation and Choice of Intermediary................................................................................ 20 B. Development of the Application and Business Plan ............................................................ 20

III. Fundamentals .......................................................................................................................... 21 A. Vision and Mission .............................................................................................................. 21 B. Values and Principles ........................................................................................................... 21 C. Goals and Outcomes............................................................................................................. 22 D. System Change..................................................................................................................... 25

IV. Program................................................................................................................................... 26 A. Overview.............................................................................................................................. 26 B. Strategies for Parents’ Education and Support..................................................................... 32 C. Strategies for Children’s Early Learning ............................................................................. 42 D. Strategies for Professional Development System ................................................................ 47 E. Partners ................................................................................................................................. 53

V. Infrastructure............................................................................................................................ 54 A. Structure ............................................................................................................................... 54 B. Creating Systemic Change ................................................................................................... 57 C. Facility.................................................................................................................................. 59 D. Communication.................................................................................................................... 59

VI. Ongoing Assessment and Evaluation ..................................................................................... 60 A. Overall Evaluation ............................................................................................................... 60 B. Ongoing Assessment ............................................................................................................ 61

VII. Financial Implications and Funding...................................................................................... 63 A. Planning Time Frames ......................................................................................................... 63 B. Budget Summary.................................................................................................................. 63 C. Philanthropy and Sustainability ........................................................................................... 67

VIII. Timeline ............................................................................................................................... 69 Sources Cited ................................................................................................................................ 71

List of Figures Figure 1: Target Area of Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington ................................................... 7 Figure 2. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington: Strategies Overview 31 Figure 3. Eligibility for Parents’ Education and Support Strategies ............................................ 33

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 iv

Figure 4. Sample Logic Model for Home Visiting Services ....................................................... 38 Figure 5. Strategies Cost per Client – Near-Term Period ............................................................ 51 Figure 6. Strategies Cost per Client – Intermediate Period ......................................................... 52 Figure 7. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Organization Chart .......................................... 55 Figure 8. Thrive Yakima Elements Creating System Change ..................................................... 58 Figure 9. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Budget Summary (2008-2013) ...................... 66

List of Tables Table 1. Race/Ethnicity of School Children ................................................................................... 8 Table 2. Percentage of Students Eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program................. 9

Appendices

A. Maps of East Yakima B. Results from EYELI Parent Survey C. Results from the Provider Survey D. Early Learning Best Practice Definitions E. Collaboration Principles F. Detail of Selected Strategies G. Architectural Program for the Plaza H. Budget and Financial Information

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 v

Abbreviations and Terms CCRR Child Care Resource and Referral, a local/regional organization that provides

information to parents about finding child care, keeps a list of local licensed providers, and provides information to assist providers

CDA Child Development Associate, a certificate program to train early learning teachers, offered by many community colleges

CONEVyT Consejo Nacional de Educacíon para la Vida y el Trabajo (National Council of Education for Life and Work), a system, based in Mexico, to offer lifelong education and training options for adults

DIBELS Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, a tool that can assess children’s level of language knowledge at kindergarten age

DSHS Department of Social and Health Services, a Washington state agency that includes Child Protective Services, which investigates child abuse and neglect and, if needed, removes children to a relative’s home or foster family

ECEAP Early Care and Education Assistance Program, a Washington state-funded, high-quality preschool program for low-income and at-risk children and their families

ECE Early Childhood Education, a two-year academic degree program offered by many community colleges; also, the name of the academic field

ELI Early Learning Initiative, an effort of Thrive by Five Washington ESD 105 Educational Service District 105, one of the nine, regional service agencies in

Washington state, created by the legislature to assist public school districts, and state-approved private and tribal schools. ESD 105 serves four counties in south central Washington.

EPIC Enterprise for Progress in the Community, an organization that operates Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Yakima

ESL English as a Second Language EYELI East Yakima Early Learning Initiative, now called Thrive by Five – Yakima,

Washington. The name EYELI was used in the project’s planning phase. FFN Family, friends and neighbors who care for children while their parents are at

work or at school. These caregivers unlicensed, either unpaid or paid only a small amount, and often do not have any formal training or education in early childhood development.

GED General Education (or Equivalency) Diploma, the equivalent of a high-school diploma. Adults earn this credential by taking a battery of General Educational Development tests.

HIPPY Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, a home visiting, parent education program

I-BEST Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, a model educational program used in some community colleges that combines basic education (such as literacy) and workforce skills

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 vi

NFP Nurse Family Partnership, a nurse home visiting program serving families from pregnancy until the infant’s 2nd birthday

OSPI Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington state education agency

PAT Parents as Teachers, a home visiting, parent education program for pregnant women and families with children from birth through age 5

PIPE Partners in Parenting Education, a curriculum for parents and caregivers QRIS Quality Rating and Improvement System, a new, voluntary system that will

offer quality ratings of licensed child care for parents choosing care, and assistance to providers in improving the care they give. Approved by the state legislature in 2007, the system is being designed by the state Department of Early Learning.

SIESTA Serving Individuals to End Serious Trouble through Agency Support, a local group of behavioral health service providers

STARS State Training and Registry System, the state system that tracks licensed child care providers and their compliance with the required hours of training, and approves classes that providers can use to meet the requirements

YVCC Yakima Valley Community College WASL Washington Assessment of Student Learning, a system of testing used in

Washington state to assess student learning of reading, writing, math and science, starting in 3rd grade (reading and math only)

WCCC Working Connections Child Care, a Washington state subsidy program for low-income families who need child care to maintain their employment or participate in an approved training plan

WIC Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, a federally funded program for low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk, which provides nutritious foods to supplement their diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Business Plan, August 2007 vii

Thrive by Five Yakima Washington Business Plan, August 2007 1

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington: Business Plan

Executive Summary This plan for Thrive by Five1 – Yakima, Washington lays the foundation to create sustainable, high-quality early learning and support for children and families in a low-income neighborhood in Yakima, Washington, identified as the East Yakima target area. A child’s early years determine whether the child enters school ready to succeed. This readiness in turn influences a child’s ability to succeed in life, and in poor communities, to break out of the crushing cycle of poverty. This plan outlines a dramatic new direction for early childhood education in the East Yakima target area. Several features make the plan unique and exciting. First, it signals the broader community’s commitment to create an intense and intentional focus on school readiness in a traditionally underserved neighborhood. With a common vision and set of actions covering all the natural learning environments for young children, it creates a powerful unity of purpose for parents, early childhood education providers and services. Second, using the leverage of substantial new resources, it weaves together new and existing programs to create a comprehensive system of early childhood education. Third, the plan is a comprehensive, coordinated set of strategies across all early learning environments. Finally, the plan’s success rests on the involvement of parents at all levels of decision making and program implementation. Context Strengths. There are 982 family households in the East Yakima target area where children under 6 years old live with one or more parents. Parents in the target area have expressed strong interest in helping their child prepare for kindergarten, and in increasing their own knowledge and skills to better help their children. Eighty-three (83) percent of the parents surveyed would like help preparing their children for kindergarten. Target area parents have demonstrated their commitment to their children’s education through their involvement in the planning for this project. Parents devoted many hours to participating in planning meetings, and commenting on project plans. Their real-life viewpoint strengthened the plan. A total of 42 organizations, both private and government agencies, have signed on as project stakeholders and partners. These organizations have enabled their staff to lead or participate in the planning work for this project. There has also been much excitement in Yakima around the prospects for Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington and what it can bring to the community. Needs. The statistics about the children of the East Yakima target area are sobering. More than 50 percent of the area’s kindergartners are consistently at risk of poor academic achievement right from the start. More than 50 percent of the 3, 728 children aged birth through 5 in the target area live below the federal poverty level. Only 22 percent are cared for by licensed child care providers, and the average education level of the licensed home care providers is only grade 8. Sixty (60) percent of their parents did not graduate from high school.

1 THRIVE BY FIVE is a trademark of Credit Union National Association, Inc. (“CUNA”) and is used by Washington Early Learning Fund (“WELF”), known as Thrive by Five Washington, under license from CUNA. CUNA’s Thrive by 5 Program provides materials for financial education to preschool-age children and their families, and is not affiliated with WELF.

Services available. Maternal and child health and other services are available, but they currently serve no more than a third of the families with children aged 0 to 5 years in the target area. Most of the services are not funded to offer the level of intensity and breadth in service delivery that is known to be the most effective in ensuring that children are most likely to be school ready. Vision, Mission and Goals Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington’s vision is: Our children arrive at kindergarten school ready. The project’s mission is: We create sustainable, high-quality early learning and support for children, families and communities. To carry out this mission, the project has six goals: I. Parents* are valued and equipped as the first and most important teacher of their child. II. Children are healthy and meet their developmental stages. III. Families provide a safe, supportive home, nurturing strong relationships with their child from

birth. IV. Neighborhoods and communities support children and families with a friendly, safe

environment. V. High-quality early learning environments are promoted in all of the child’s natural learning

settings.** VI. The demonstration project created can be reasonably sustained and replicated operationally

and economically. Central to this project’s approach is system change. The Thrive Yakima Board and Work Groups recognize that improving school readiness calls for the joint and ongoing action of parents, early learning providers, schools, and community and civic leaders. Achievement of meaningful and lasting transformation will require systemic change in the way early childhood education is organized and carried out. Program Thrive Yakima will work toward its goals and mission by carrying out strategies in three areas: parents’ education and support, children’s early learning, and professional development system. In addition two overarching components of the program are:

• Collaboration: One of the important ways Thrive Yakima will promote system change is to focus on building collaborative relationships: (1) between parents and the providers of services, and (2) between organizations that serve children and families in the East Yakima target area. The purpose is to create long-lasting, trusting relationships, promote more effective and efficient delivery of services, avoid duplication, participate in shared learning, and work as strategic partners to achieve what’s in the best interest of the families.

• The Plaza: The project will establish a strong, visible presence in the East Yakima target area. The project’s focal point, the Plaza, will be a high-quality early learning center (Educare) and an early learning resource center for the community. Through both the program and building design, the Plaza will symbolize the open arms and open doors of

* Parents: Individual(s) parenting children. ** Natural learning settings: Playground, grandparent’s house, play groups, preschool, home, child care, park, grocery store, cultural event, arts event, sports event, riding on the bus, and many more


Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington. The project will build the Plaza in the East Yakima target area with the aim of opening in Year 3. Initially, the project will lease space in the target area, which will be the site for planning and active connectivity.

The strategies focus on the early period (bridge and near term) of this project. This is intentional, as there will be a need for continual assessment and adjustment in the plans.

1. Parents’ education and support strategies are: (a) promotoras (peer outreach workers), (b) home visitors (both ongoing and new programs), (c) parent clubs (support groups), (d) behavioral health counseling, (e) parenting classes (ongoing and new), and (e) educational programs (English as a Second Language and Spanish literacy).

2. Children’s early learning strategies are: (a) Educare (a model early learning center), (b) high-quality curricula (to be used in Educare, and introduced to parents and care providers through home visitors, parent clubs and other means), (c) early literacy coaches (to help early learning providers improve their educational offerings), and (d) the Pre-Kinder Academy (to introduce five-year-olds and their parents to school routines and learning).

3. Professional development system strategies are: (a) creating a comprehensive, well-coordinated system of professional development (through partnerships with higher education, a trainers’ committee and a cadre of professional development advisors/coaches), (b) Spanish Literacy with early learning, (c) I-BEST (integrating basic education and skills classes with community college early childhood certificate courses), and (d) scholarships (for professional development classes).

Infrastructure Successful implementation of Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington will depend upon the development of an effective governance and management structure for the project. A good initial model has been established during the planning phase of the project and the intent is to learn from the experience of the past year and build upon and improve that model. The elements of the structure are as follows:

• Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Board – a community-based Board created to oversee the work on the project.

• Educational Service District 105 Board – the project’s fiscal agent • Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Staff Team – including the ESD 105

Superintendent; the Thrive Yakima Executive Director, Program Directors and administrative staff

• Advisory Committees – will include an Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee, a Project Advisory Committee, and Ad Hoc committees as needed

• Facilities – include an interim facility in the East Yakima target area and the Plaza, to open in the target area in Year 3 of the project

• Communication plan – will be developed by the Thrive Yakima Board and Executive Director, and include coordination with the ongoing Born Learning campaign.

Ongoing Assessment and Evaluation The project will have two types of evaluation:

• Long-term: Mathematica is conducting the overall evaluation of Thrive by Five Washington’s two demonstration communities.


• Ongoing assessment: Thrive Yakima will conduct ongoing assessments in order to improve its programs. This effort will be led by an Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee, and will include quality/fidelity evaluation of evidence-based practices and of other program components. Additionally, the effort will include local outcome evaluation to address some program components that Mathematica will not review.

Financial Implications and Sustainability Budget. The planning for the 10-year Thrive Yakima program is organized in four periods: (1) bridge period (September – December 2007), near-term (2008-09), intermediate-term (2010-13), and long-term (2014-17). The near-term budget consists of a budget for Year 1 (2008) of $4,203,444, and for Year 2 (2009) of $5,920,637 (net afteranticipated revenues are taken into account). This business plan also includes a proposed budget for the intermediate term. The overall program is designed to learn from the project’s assessment process in order to develop the long-term budget. See Appendix H for budget details in the first six years. Philanthropic and business support. The local fund-raising climate is both competitive and cooperative. Recent local, major fund-raising campaigns have achieved $1 million to $2 million. Thrive Yakima will need to take its place in line, and be sensitive to other local efforts and the perception that the project has an ongoing outside fund source. The Work Group looking at philanthropic issues estimated that Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington might expect to raise a maximum in the $1–3 million range for a first campaign, though even this amount might be too high depending on the timeline required. The project will need to contract with a professional fund development organization to conduct an analysis and make recommendations. The Board of Thrive Yakima will assume responsibility for memorandums of understanding for all partners and participate in community fundraising. Public sector funding. The project expects to be able to tap some state and federal fund sources for ongoing sustainability. The state legislature’s funding in 2007 of all-day kindergarten has allowed the Yakima School District to redirect some funds from kindergarten to early learning. The project will investigate whether the Promatoras Program would be eligible for Medicaid Administrative Match funding. The state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) funds dedicated to our demonstration community will help to underwrite professional development, and provider support and incentives to attend training. Enterprise for Progress in the Community (EPIC), which is the grantee in Yakima for Early Care and Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) and Head Start programs, will coordinate efforts for additional ECEAP and Early Head Start slots, and any other publicly subsidized programs that may become available. Also, the project will need to identify private partners to invest in this high-poverty neighborhood into the future.


Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington: Business Plan

Introduction “No single program approach or mode of service delivery has been shown to be a magic bullet. . . . The key is to select strategies that have documented effectiveness, assure that they are implemented well, and recognize the critical importance of a strong commitment to continuous program improvement.”

— Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University 2007

Our children need our help in order to be ready for school. We know from extensive early childhood research that the early years of a child’s life shape whether or not the child enters school ready to learn. Being ready for school influences a child’s ability to succeed in life, and in poor communities, to break the cycle of poverty that limits their future success. We know children are born learning. We know it is the responsibility of the adults in children’s lives to help them thrive by five and be ready for school. This business plan is the result of a nine-month planning effort for a demonstration project to create sustainable, high-quality early learning and support for children and families in a low-income neighborhood in Yakima, Washington, identified as the East Yakima target area. The statistics about the children of East Yakima are sobering. More than 50 percent of the kindergartners who enter the three elementary schools within the East Yakima target area are consistently at risk of poor academic achievement at the beginning of kindergarten. More than 50 percent of the children in East Yakima, under age 5, live below the federal poverty level. Only 22 percent of the area’s 3, 728 children aged birth through 5 are cared for by licensed child care providers, and the average education level of the licensed home care providers is only grade 8. A parent survey conducted in fall of 2006 showed that 78 percent of the children in the target area are five years and younger. Fifty-four (54) percent of the parents in this population had trouble finding child care. While a high percentage of the children aged 0 – 5 years in the target area receive child care at home or with relatives, the surveyors commented that parents seemed very aware that their children were not necessarily getting what they needed developmentally and academically. Eighty three (83) percent of the parents would like help preparing their children for kindergarten. This business plan outlines a dramatic new direction for early childhood education in East Yakima. There are several features that make the plan unique and exciting.

• First, and perhaps most importantly, it signals the broader community’s commitment to create an intense and intentional focus on school readiness in a traditionally underserved neighborhood. It creates a common vision and agreement on a set of actions covering all the natural learning environments for young children that will create a powerful unity of purpose for a large group of parents and early childhood education providers and services.

• Second, it takes advantage of substantial new resources to leverage existing resources, weaving together new programs with existing programs to create a comprehensive system of early childhood education.


• Third, for the first time, we have created a plan that develops a comprehensive, and coordinated, set of strategies across all early learning environments.

• Finally, it is a plan that includes, and in fact requires, the involvement of parents at all levels of decision making and program implementation. For this plan to succeed, parents in East Yakima must ultimately develop a sense of ownership in this plan.

The project is designed as a collaboration between family members and early childhood education and services providers, with a lot of support from across the community. The project’s literal and figurative doors will be open for mutual learning—where parents and families are enriched by interactions with the early childhood community, and the early childhood community is enriched by interactions with the families. This learning has begun in Yakima with the Born Learning campaign. This public engagement campaign provides tools and tips for parents on easy ways to encourage their child’s learning, and seeks to build public will to support expanded high-quality early learning opportunities. The Born Learning campaign has raised awareness about the crucial importance of early learning for children and the community. The importance of Thrive by Five2 –Yakima, Washington to the Yakima community cannot be overstated. More than half of all children in Yakima ages birth to five are located in the East Yakima target area. One way or another, the children of East Yakima will shape the future course of this community. To get at the root of the problem of poor preparation for school and for life, the community must intervene with resources at the point where there is the best opportunity to make an impact—in early childhood. By working together as a community, parents will achieve their dream of having their children in our demonstration community ready for school, and our community will have a brighter future.

I. Community Context, Needs and Strengths

A. East Yakima Target Area and Its People The partners and stakeholders involved in this early learning demonstration project chose the East Yakima area as the project’s target area. (See Figure 1.) The Planning Grant Application of the East Yakima Early Learning Initiative or EYELI (now called Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington) cited three primary reasons for this choice:

• A high number of children in the East Yakima target area have two or more risk factors that affect their ability to succeed in school.

• The target area is home to the highest percentage (43 percent) of the children in Yakima and its suburbs who have had to be removed from their homes by the state Child Protective Services.

• The Yakima Police Department reported that two of the five census tracts in the target area have the highest rates of juvenile crime in the city (Educational Service District [ESD] 105, 2006, p. 1).

2 THRIVE BY FIVE is a trademark of Credit Union National Association, Inc. (“CUNA”) and is used by Washington Early Learning Fund (“WELF”), known as Thrive by Five Washington, under license from CUNA. CUNA’s Thrive by 5 Program provides materials for financial education to preschool-age children and their families, and is not affiliated with WELF.


The East Yakima target area is important to the City of Yakima’s future since it has just over half of the city’s children aged birth to 5. These children are at risk of not succeeding in school because of the risk factors present in their young lives, as described below. This business plan is well-grounded in an understanding of the characteristics, needs and strengths of the target area and the surrounding community.

Where the Target Area Is Located The East Yakima target area is 5.5 square miles within the City of Yakima. The area, defined as five census tracts, is bordered to the east by Interstate 82, primarily to the north by River Road, and extends as far south as East Mead Avenue and as far west as North 34th Avenue. See Figure 1 and maps in Appendix A.

Figure 1: Target Area of Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington

Who Lives There Population. The 2000 U.S. Census found 28,203 people residing in the East Yakima target area, with slightly more males than females (14,470 males, 13,733 females). The area’s residents represent 39 percent of the population in the City of Yakima.


Young children. A total of 3,728 children aged birth through 5 live in the target area, with approximately 600 born each year. This population is 52 percent of the children in this age group in the City of Yakima (U.S. Census, 2000). In 2006-07 a total of 400 children were enrolled in all-day kindergarten in the three elementary schools that are in the target area. However, since there is not enough room in these schools for all the kindergarten-age children living in East Yakima, some East Yakima children go to kindergarten outside the area (Yakima School District, 2007). Families. There are 982 family households in the East Yakima target area where children under 6 years old live with one or more parents, at an average of 3.3 children per family. Of these families, more than half are headed by a single mother (33 percent) or single father (19 percent), while 47.5 percent are two-parent households. In addition, almost 500 children under age 6 live in other households, such as with grandparents or foster parents (U.S. Census, 2000). Race/ethnicity. A majority of target area residents (57 percent) is Hispanic (of any race). The area’s racial makeup is 49 percent white, 3 percent black, 3 percent Native American, 1 percent Asian and 44 percent other/multiracial (U.S. Census, 2000). In the three elementary schools in the East Yakima target area, the students are predominately Hispanic. The percentage of Hispanics is higher than in the area’s general population, in the Yakima School District or in the state school population. The school numbers also show fewer white students than in the Yakima School District or statewide. See Table 1.

Table 1. Race/Ethnicity of School Children East Yakima Target Area Elementary

Schools:

Adams Barge Lincoln Garfield

Yakima School District (K-12)

Washington State (K-12)

Asian/Pacific Islander 0.9% 0.5% 0% 1.3% 7.9% Black 4.0% 2.2% 1.2% 3.2% 5.7% Native American 3.8% 2.9% 0.6% 3.0% 2.8% White 11.9% 8.0% 11.4% 34.0% 69.2% Hispanic, any race 79.1% 86.3% 89.7% 58.4% 13.7% Sources: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2006; Yakima School District

Language, Education Level Language spoken at home. According to the census, as much as 33 percent of the adults in the East Yakima target area do not speak English, although the rate varies by census tract (U.S. Census, 2000). The parent survey found that 74.5 percent of target area parents usually speak Spanish in their home (EYELI 2006, p. 9). This is significantly higher than the census data for the City of Yakima, which found that 30.5 percent of the population spoke a language other than English at home (U.S. Census, 2000). Education level. According to the census, 76 percent of all adults over age 25 in the East Yakima target area do not have a high school diploma or the equivalent. This is startling compared to the City of Yakima as a whole, where only 30.6 percent of adults do not have a least


a high school education (U.S. Census, 2000). The EYELI Parent Survey, conducted with a sample of 379 families with young children in the target area (see Appendix B), reported that 60 percent (both women and men) did not graduate from high school (ESD 105, Nov. 2006, p. 9).

Economic Conditions Poverty and having under- or unemployed parents have been shown to be strong risk factors for a young child’s later school success (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2005, p. 7; Human Services Policy Center, 2003). Household income. The East Yakima target area parent survey found that 57.8 percent of the parents interviewed had annual household incomes of $25,000 or less (EYELI, 2006, p. 9). This puts them below the median family income of $34,412 in Yakima County, and well below the state median of $49,262 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Yakima County has a higher proportion of jobs in the farming, health care and forestry sectors than does the state. Fewer Yakima County residents are in higher paying management, business, financial and other professional occupations compared to the state (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2004). Poverty. More than 50 percent of the children aged birth to 5 in the East Yakima target area live below the federal poverty level (U.S. Census, 2000). The parent survey found that 45.5 percent of the parents interviewed had annual household incomes of $20,000 or less (EYELI, 2006, p. 9). This puts their income below the 2006 federal poverty level for a household with two adults and three children under age 18. This percentage of families living below the poverty level is much higher than for the City of Yakima as a whole, where 17.1 percent of families are below poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Free and reduced-price meals. Another indicator of the income level of a community is the number of school children whose family incomes make them eligible for the free and reduced-price meal program. Data available from two of the East Yakima target area elementary schools show that a much higher proportion of students in these schools are eligible for this program compared to the Yakima School District and the state, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Percentage of Students Eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program East Yakima Elementary Schools:

Adams Barge Lincoln Garfield Yakima School District

Washington State – All Schools

Eligible 95.6% 96.6% 97.6% 74.8% 36.7% Source: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2006 Unemployment. Although unemployment data are not available for the East Yakima target area, state unemployment information shows the Yakima County unemployment rate at 10 percent, quite a bit higher than the state rate of 6 percent. In addition, unemployment has been increasing in the last two years in Yakima County, while it has been fairly stable for the state (Washington State Department of Employment Security, 2005).


Safety Removal from the home. When a child in Washington state has been seriously abused or neglected or is in danger of being harmed, Child Protective Services can remove the child from the home and place him or her with relatives or in foster care. In the East Yakima target area, 69 children aged birth to 5, or 1.9 percent of children in this age range in the area, are currently removed from their home and in state custody. While this rate of removal is low, the removals in the East Yakima target area constitute more than half of the City of Yakima’s children removed from their homes in this age group. In addition, only 14 percent find placement in their own community. The rest are placed outside of the area, often many miles from their familiar surroundings (Washington Department of Social and Health Services [DSHS], 2007; ESD 105, 2006, p. 1). The state Department of Social and Health Services has committed to work with Thrive Yakima to identify more foster homes within the target area. Crime rate. Although the East Yakima target area has only 39 percent of the population in the City of Yakima, it accounts for a higher percentage of most types of crimes. Of particular concern for families are the rates of domestic violence violations, rape, misdemeanor assault and robbery. The East Yakima target area accounted for more than 60 percent of the instances of each of these crimes in the City of Yakima in 2006. In addition, 135 juveniles from the target area were arrested in 2006 for “part 1” crimes, such as assault, robbery, larceny and vehicle theft. As noted above, two of the area’s five census tracts have the highest rates of juvenile crime in the city (Yakima Police Department, 2007).

B. School Readiness and Current Early Learning System A child’s early environment sets the stage for the child’s future. Among the factors that influence this environment are the availability and quality of child care, the child’s health, and the transition into kindergarten (Shonkoff, 2000). School readiness measures. While there is no standard measure for kindergarten readiness in Washington, some information comes from assessments used in Yakima Head Start programs and for entering kindergarteners in Yakima public schools. Both assessments indicate that there are significant challenges for target area children’s school readiness. In Yakima, Enterprise for Progress in the Community (EPIC) is the grantee for the Early Care and Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) and Head Start programs. EPIC’s assessment of four-year-olds in their program in Spring 2006 found that only 19 percent could make letter-sound connections, an indicator of kindergarten readiness. While this was a higher percentage than at the beginning of the year, it still means that a startling 81 percent of the children were not ready for school (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, pp. 1-2). Yakima Public Schools uses the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Letter Naming Fluency tool to assess children entering kindergarten. It is used only with English-speaking children, however. For English-speaking children entering the three target area schools’ kindergartens in 2006, the DIBELS showed that more than 50 percent were at risk for poor academic achievement. Among the bilingual Hispanic children who took the DIBELS, the results were even more striking: 70.3 percent were found to be at risk (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, p. 3).


Another indicator of school readiness is third grade scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) standardized test. This is the earliest grade level at which student achievement is measured statewide. The third grade WASL scores in the East Yakima target area elementary schools lag those in the Yakima School District and the state. In 2005-06 between 36 percent and 49 percent of target area third graders had a passing score in reading, compared to 51.3 percent in the school district and 68.3 percent in the state. On the math test, between 23 percent and 24 percent of target area third graders had passing scores, compared to 38.1 percent in the school district and 64.2 percent in the state. Unfortunately, this lower achievement carries throughout school and is reflected in a higher dropout rate in the Yakima School District (12 percent) than in the state (5.1 percent) (OSPI, 2006). Child care and preschool availability. In the East Yakima target area, there are nine licensed child care centers, three EPIC centers (Castlevale, Jefferson, and EPIC Place), and 43 licensed child care homes. The centers and home together are licensed for 870 children, plus 310 target area children aged birth to 5 in EPIC Head Start, for a total of 1,180 slots (EPIC, 2007; ESD 105, Oct. 2006, pp. 13-14). Numerous licensed center and home providers are located outside the boundaries of the target area, including Children’s Village. In addition, the Yakima School District, under a subcontract with EPIC, offers space to 70 low-income four-year-olds in the East Yakima target area in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). They also serve 40 special education children in developmental preschool in the target area (ESD 105, 2007, p. 10). Combined, these programs serve 1,290 children, only about 35 percent of the 3,728 children birth to 5 in the target area. See the map of licensed child care in Appendix A. The parent survey found that:

• 60.3 percent of children aged birth through five are cared for full-time by their parents, • 22.8 percent spent at least some of their time in the care of relatives or friends, • 7.6 percent were in center child care, • 4.8 percent were in a child care home, and • 4.4 percent in a preschool.

Fifty-four percent of the parents said they had trouble finding child care, with 12 percent having to go outside the neighborhood to find child care. The top two barriers in finding child care were the expense (including transportation) and the hours of care not fitting the parents’ work schedule. When asked what child care they preferred, the top choice (34 percent) was all-day preschool. Sixty-three percent named either all-day preschool, half-day preschool or a child care center as their top choice (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, pp. 4-5; Nov. 2006, p. 3). The survey did not provide information as to whether parents wanting “preschool” education were aware of or understood the learning opportunities provided by the various early learning programs or providers in the community. School district pre-kindergarten. The Yakima School District is expanding pre-kindergarten learning experiences. An additional four-year-old pre-school classroom (36 students) has been added at Barge-Lincoln Elementary, joining an ECEAP classroom (35 students). The district has also hired a full-time Director of Early Childhood Education. The next classrooms to be added in


the immediate future are to be at Adams and ML King. This is the beginning of an intentional pattern to increase pre-kindergarten education to make this learning option available throughout the district, beginning with East Yakima, and joins the district's five-year history of offering no-fee, full-day kindergarten. Reading curriculums are Houghton-Mifflin (and Lectura), High Point, and Read Well, with 90 minutes required of all students and “double dosing” of 30 minutes for struggling students. Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math are also part of the schools’ curriculums. Recesses, including lunch recess, are captured times; morning and after-school Power Hours and Extended Learning Opportunities are offered in all schools. Health. A total of 541 women in the East Yakima target area received services from one of three publicly supported maternal and child health programs in 2006 (Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, 2007). Although information on the health of babies at birth and their mothers is not available for the target area, it is likely to be similar to or not as good as Yakima County, given the higher poverty rate in the target area. In the county in 2005, 5 percent of the 4,062 babies born had low birth weight. More than 5 percent of the women giving birth were under the age of 18; and 4.4 percent received delayed or no prenatal care (Washington DSHS, 2006). These factors put the infant at greater risk for health problems. State data indicate that 13.7 percent of all children have special health care needs. In the East Yakima target area, there are 370 children aged birth through 5 years that have received services from Children’s Village over the past year. This rate of receipt of services is somewhat higher than in the county as a whole (9.92 per 100 children aged birth through 5 years in the target area compared to 8.56 in the county). In the coming year, the project will conduct further assessment to attempt to determine the nature of the special needs that children in the East Yakima target area may have. The top two diagnostic categories among all children served by special health care needs programs were developmental delay and mental retardation (Washington State Department of Health, 2005). The Yakima School District has partnered with Children’s Village to serve children aged birth through 3 years who have special needs. On average 60 Yakima School District children in this age range are served each month through the Children’s Village early intervention programs (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, p. 10). Parents’ desire for help with school readiness. While a high percentage of the parents surveyed had their children at home or with relatives, 83 percent said they would like help in preparing their children for kindergarten. In the same survey 82 percent of the parents said they wanted to receive information and materials about child health and development; 62 percent wanted to attend parent learning sessions on child health and development; 61 percent wanted to be offered parenting tips in the home; and 53 percent wanted to have home visits on early learning. Their other top requests were financial help with child care (41 percent), and transportation (39 percent) (ESD 105, Oct. 2006; Nov. 2006, p. 4). The survey was not set up to identify whether the parents wanting financial help already knew about the child care subsidy programs available for low-income parents. Child care providers’ education and interest in professional development. The following are key findings from a May 2007 survey of licensed home and center child care providers in or near the East Yakima target area. (See Appendix C for the survey report.)


• Number of children in care: 382 children under 6 years of age were in the 66 licensed home child care homes surveyed. The six centers responding to this question reported a total of 396 children (no age brackets given).

• Capacity: Just over half the home care providers and 75 percent of the centers were at capacity 80 to 100 percent of the time.

• Language of providers: 82 percent of the licensed home providers were monolingual Spanish-speakers. All the centers had Spanish-speaking staff or volunteers available.

• Education level of providers: The average education level of the licensed home providers was 8th grade, with 26 percent having less than a 6th grade education.

• Use of curriculum: Only 14 percent of licensed home providers were using a developed curriculum to provide educational activities for their daily schedule. Usage was much more common among centers, where 78 percent reported using a curriculum.

• Business plan: 32 percent of licensed home providers and 55 percent of centers said they have a business plan.

• Contact with local schools: Only 49 percent of licensed home providers and 50 percent of centers said they have contact with their local school.

• Training interest: 85 percent of licensed home providers were interested in receiving additional training or education, but only 14 percent were currently enrolled. More than three-quarters of the centers reported that half or more of their staff was motivated to seek additional training in early learning.

• Barriers for STARS classes: The top three barriers to taking State Training and Registry System (STARS) classes for home providers were time, classes not conveniently scheduled, and transportation. The top three barriers reported by centers were cost, classes not conveniently scheduled, and classes do not provide enough professional recognition. (Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington, 2007).

Professional development opportunities available locally. Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) offers training to child care providers in the area. This includes a two-year degree program in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and four certificate programs, including Child Development Associate (CDA). In 2006-07, 147 students from the target area were enrolled at YVCC and had declared an ECE major. YVCC and several other agencies, including Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR), a program of Catholic Family and Child Service, also provide continuing education classes to providers that approved for State Training and Registry System (STARS) hours. CCRR STARS hours are currently accessed by more than 400 licensed providers in the region. YVCC and CCRR have partnered to provide “Building Bridges,” an early childhood education curriculum that offers both STARS hours and college credits, along with mentoring for the child care provider. More than 50 providers from throughout the region were enrolled during 2006-07. Some training is also available at the local Association for the Education of Young Children’s convention, held in Yakima every three years (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, pp. 8, 14-17). Numerous partners are STARS providers and have access to regional and national expertise. In addition, onsite technical assistance and consultation services for providers are offered through Catholic Family and Child Service’s Child Care Resource and Referral program. Requests are made through the Department of Early Learning.


A provider’s educational background or language skills can pose challenges to taking advantage of these training opportunities. Providers in the target area have an average educational level of 8th grade. Licensors serving the target area comment that many of the providers are pre-literate. For this reason, many providers are not equipped to attend classes at YVCC or to take advantage of Building Bridges. In addition, YVCC does not offer classes in Spanish; the primary language of target area providers. Moreover, these training opportunities are “scatter-shot”—reflecting state licensing requirements or what is offered at a given time. This approach results in duplication of some topics and gaps in others. There is no systematic approach to training for providers that takes into account their educational needs, or that leads to a set of competencies or a professional degree. A project in the Tri-Cities, which is combining basic literacy skills with learning about early childhood education, has found that participating providers (with demographics similar to those in the East Yakima target area) needed close, almost one-to-one mentoring to have enough confidence to stay involved. Professional development as it currently exists in Yakima offers little in the say of social/emotional support for East Yakima area child care providers. Also, as indicated by the survey of home and center provides, scheduling of professional development offerings is often a barrier, since programs are offered when the providers cannot leave their own business or when they must leave their own families to attend. Transition into kindergarten. The Yakima School District’s efforts to close the achievement gap have been extraordinary in the past seven years. The district holds a Pre-Kinder Academy in the summer for children who will enter kindergarten in the fall, with nearly 400 children participating. The program is approximately 80 hours over four weeks. It introduces children to the classroom structure and routines, and provides activities to enrich language development. Currently the program has space for approximately 300 incoming kindergarteners district-wide (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, p. 10; Yakima School District, 2007). This year, only 26 percent of the East Yakima target area pre-kindergarten children were able to take advantage of this opportunity. This is a relatively new program, but so far it has seen increases in DIBELS scores of most of the children attending. Consistent attendance, however, has been a challenge. In 2006 only 58 percent of the children attended 90 percent of the time. The program in its current form lacks the educational outreach to parents on the importance of education in the early years. Expanding the program to allow for family engagement is crucial. In addition to a focus on oral language development, there must be a concentrated effort to develop a strong relationship with the families and care providers of these incoming kindergarten children through home visits, family/provider nights and collaborative goal setting. School district efforts for older children’s success. Yakima School District offers summer school free of charge at every K-12 school, with the elementary level geared to struggling students. The district has also had an aggressive program to deal with the drop-out problem with outreach in the East Yakima target area. A former principal who served more than a decade at Adams Elementary heads a cadre of bilingual staff who comb the area for students with attendance issues and other problems, working with them to find appropriate programs and support. He and his staff make frequent home visits to support the students; in fact, a homeless


shelter and residence for teens has been founded and named Rod’s House for this principal. He also serves on the placement committees with the director of central registration for the district in order to ensure appropriate placement. The district has made extraordinary efforts to bring success to the students so that their experience is not one of failure, defeat and becoming a drop-out. Two in-school nurseries serve teen parents at a high school and high school alternative. For students who need a mix of physically active course work, rather than a purely academic approach, many Career Technical Education courses have been cross-credited so that math, science and other disciplines’ credits may be earned in an active environment. In addition, schools are open free of charge for helping agencies, and faith-based efforts bring other programs of support. An initiative is being co-sponsored between the Yakima City Council and the schools on character building.

C. Services and Supports for Parents As one of the project’s guiding principles states, parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Services that offer health care, education about child development and parenting information can help parents provide a good learning environment for their children (Children’s Trust of Washington, 2006; Karoly, 2005). In addition, parents may be able to access community resources such as libraries and community centers whose programs extend children’s learning. The following provides a brief description of some of the resources currently available in Yakima. Child and family health. A sampling of programs for mothers and young children in the Yakima area include:

• Catholic Family and Child Service – Offers early intervention services to parents including: (1) Valley Intervention Program, a hands-on behavioral parent training program that teaches parents positive behavior methods in dealing with preschool children aged 2 through 6; (2) Bonding and Attachment treatment provides counseling to families with young children who have experienced trauma, multi-placements or an interruption in the primary bonding relationship process; and (3) Kinship Navigator program provides resources and referrals to grandparents raising grandchildren or other kin raising next-of-kin young children. Two primary parent intervention models are Incredible Years and Parents as Teachers. Parents may also attend any of the Spanish or English STARS classes offered through the Child Care Resource and Referral program.

• Children’s Village – A multi-agency collaboration offering services for children with special health care needs. Services include early intervention, dental, parent networking and support, medical specialty clinics, occupational, physical and speech therapy services, learning clinic, and a collaborative preschool classroom for children with early learning disruptions including behavioral and communicative delays. Early intervention contracts are in place with all area school districts to provide services to families of children aged 0 through 3 years with developmental delays.

• Community Health of Central Washington – A community health center providing comprehensive medical services, including pediatric services through Central Washington Family Medicine and Yakima Pediatric Associates.


• EPIC (Enterprise for Progress in the Community) – A nonprofit that provides multiple programs involving multi-agency collaboration for parents in East Yakima. EPIC Early Head Start provides home visiting services to high-risk pregnant and parenting women and children (aged birth to 3 years) at Children’s Village.

• First Steps – A Medicaid-funded program for high-risk families, covering pregnancy through the child’s first year. Provides information and training on health, child growth and development; bonding and attachment, parenting skills, child safety, and discipline. Offered by Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. Currently serves 330 families in East Yakima.

• Kids Connect – A multi-agency collaboration to provide health resource services to families with children birth to 18 years in Yakima County. Services include helping families find a medical home for their children, helping them obtain medical coverage, and reducing emergency room utilization for non-emergencies. This program is not currently operating, since it lacks funding, but is expected to restart soon. Participants in the collaboration are Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Community Health of Central Washington, ESD 105, Sunnyside Community Hospital, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

• KidScreen – A collaborative partnership of health and educational organizations in Yakima County and the United Way, which offers developmental, social-emotional, hearing, vision, and dental screenings as well as immunizations, physical exams and health resource services for children aged birth to 6 at no cost to families. KidScreen currently serves from 80 to 150 children annually in target area.

• Maternal Health Services – A maternal-child block grant program that provides assessment and limited home visiting services, primarily for high-risk mothers and children not covered by First Steps. Services are offered through Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

• Nurse/Family Partnership – A nurse home visiting program for first-time, low-income mothers from early pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. Offered through a multi-agency collaboration operating out of Children’s Village. Currently serves 16 families in East Yakima.

• Yakima Neighborhood Health Services – A community health center providing comprehensive medical services, including pediatrics, a Women-Infant-Children (WIC) clinic, dental care and behavioral health.

• Yakima Valley Farm Worker’s Clinic – A community health center providing comprehensive medical services, including pediatrics, WIC, dental care, and behavioral health. Has a health service site in East Yakima (ESD 105, 2006, pp. 6-9).

In addition, an office of Yakima County Department of Community Services in the target area offers screening for developmental disabilities and mental health. A private women’s clinic in the area offers testing for pregnancy and for sexually transmitted diseases. Home visiting programs. Several programs offer home visits in the East Yakima target area to new mothers from nurses, health educators or outreach workers. These include: First Steps, Maternal Child Health, and Nurse/Family Partnership. Currently a total of 346 families in the


target area are served by home visiting programs, or 29 percent of the 1200 eligible area families with children under age 6 (ESD 105, 2007). Parenting education. The following resources are available in the Yakima area for parenting education:

• Circle of Success – An early education program for parents with an emphasis on early literacy. Partners with Yakima Valley Regional Library for family reading times.

• EPIC Head Start – Enterprise for Progress in the Community (EPIC) programs provide parent education and supportive services for 650 families through a diverse array of programs including Early Head Start, Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, Child Care Partners, ECEAP, MTCC and Crisis Nursery.

• La Casa Hogar – A neighborhood program in the target area providing a variety of educational and social programs for Hispanic mothers and children, including computer classes, English classes and early childhood development information.

In addition, the home visiting programs listed above provide information for parents about child development and parenting. The Washington State University Cooperative Extension and Learning Center, located in the target area, offers consumer education on nutrition and food safety. Help finding and financing child care. All area families can receive information on how to find child care and/or preschool programs through Catholic Family and Child Service, the local contractor for child care resource and referral. Two state programs are available to help eligible families to afford child care: Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) Subsidy and Seasonal Child Care subsidies. WCCC subsidies are available to eligible families who need child care to maintain their employment or participate in an approved training plan. The state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) authorizes these subsidies. Seasonal child care subsidies are available for eligible, seasonally employed, agricultural workers. The local child care resource and referral agency authorizes seasonal child care subsidies. In the Yakima Valley as a whole, 5,444 families currently receive assistance through the WCCC program, and 284 families through the Seasonal program. Data are not available for use of these programs by families in the East Yakima target area. However, based on the comments from parents involved in the creation of this plan, eligible families do not know of the programs. Local community resources. The main branch of the Yakima Valley Regional Library is located within the target area, in the heart of downtown. The East Yakima target area includes three major public parks: Kiwanis (with an adjacent adult softball complex), ML King and Miller. A fourth, tiny triangle of a park is located near Garfield Elementary on Third Avenue, and has some playground equipment. School premises in the area also have lawns and playgrounds, which the community is encouraged to use in non-instructional times. However, none of these parks serves the needs of very young children except as their parents have time to accompany and supervise them. The other recreational resources for families in the target area include occasional special events for families in the target area sponsored by such community agencies as the YMCA and YWCA, and the Central Washington State Fairgrounds, Speedway, and Ice Arena. Again, however, these venues are not geared to young children.


In short, the community resources for families with young children in the target area are few, and with the exception of the library’s children’s programs, are not appropriate for the exploration, learning, and freedom of movement needed by babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Transportation can be a significant barrier to accessing health care and other services for families in the East Yakima target area. Almost a third (32 percent) of the area’s residents do not have a vehicle (U.S. Census, 2000). The target area is served by a number of bus routes, however, many run only once an hour in each direction and/or require a transfer to get to commonly used services. Access challenges. The long list of services described above represents current attempts on the part of community service providers to meet the substantial need that exists for children and families in the East Yakima target area. Despite this good work, service providers are currently serving no more than a third of the families with children aged 0 to 5 years in the target area. Current services are not sufficiently funded to reach all the families who need them. Most are not funded to offer the level of intensity and breadth in service delivery that is known to be the most effective in ensuring that children are most likely to be school ready. In some cases, service providers operate independently of one another. Additionally, service providers are not necessarily screened for their ability to effectively work with families in poverty whose first language is not English. From the families’ perspective, services can seem disconnected and not always working in a coordinated fashion with the family. Parents have shared that often they do not feel respected or valued. Therefore, the relationships with families must be nurtured in order for families to want to access the services that exist.

D. Community Strengths and Values Parents. Parents in the East Yakima target area who were surveyed expressed strong interest in helping their child prepare for kindergarten, and in increasing their own knowledge and skills to better help their children. While between 71 and 86 percent use family or friends to look after their child (the percentage depends on the age of the children in the household), their comments in the survey indicated concern that their children were not getting what they needed to further their development and academic preparation. More than half (58 percent) want more options for preschool education and would prefer out-of-home child care (62 percent) if it were available. They also wanted resources to help them learn more about child development and how to help their children’s learning. More than half want home visits on early learning (53 percent), want parenting tips (61 percent), are interested in attending parenting sessions (62 percent), and would participate in community activities for the family (57 percent) (ESD 105, Nov. 2006, pp. 2-5). Target area parents who served on the project’s Work Groups devoted many hours to participate in planning meetings, and commenting on plans for the project. Between one and four parents served on each work group, with seven on the Family and Parent Work Group. Over five months of planning, each Work Group met for a total of approximately 28 hours. Three parents serve on the Thrive Yakima Board, which meets monthly or as needed. Parents have been clear and articulate about their needs during the Work Group planning sessions. They have asked key questions and made the discussions very “real” from their experiences. For example, in the Integrated Services Work Group one parent through an


interpreter asked, “What if my child does not get in to Educare? What if there are not enough spaces? That is like offering cake and not having enough to go around.” Parents have continually brought to life the issue of equity of services to be provided. A level of trust has been created in the planning process where such honest, heartfelt questions could be asked. Additionally, the largely Hispanic make-up of the East Yakima target area brings with it the strengths of Hispanic culture. One such strength is the high value placed on children’s education. A recent national poll of Hispanic voters found that education was their top concern (41 percent)—well ahead of the next highest concerns of health care (26 percent), the Iraq war (26 percent), and jobs and the economy (20 percent) (Bendixen & Associates, 2007). The EYELI parent survey’s finding that 83 percent of parents would like help preparing their children for kindergarten underscores the value parents place on education (ESD 105, Nov. 2006, p. 4).. Stakeholders. A total of 42 organizations, both private and government agencies, have signed on as project stakeholders and partners. Representatives participated in early planning meetings to decide on the target area, develop the project’s initial organizational structure, and create the bylaws. Many of the stakeholders have enabled their staff to lead or participate in the planning Work Groups and the parent survey. Between October 2006 and July 2007, volunteers on the Board, Executive Committee and project Work Groups have donated 2,291 hours to creating Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington, a donation valued at $120,538. Stakeholders have also contributed information for the needs assessment and this business plan. See the Acknowledgements on page ii for lists of the stakeholders and Work Groups. Since work on the project began, the stakeholders have demonstrated a strong commitment to collaborating to ensure that the project is successful. Community leaders. There has been much excitement in Yakima around the prospects for Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington and what it can bring to the community. Community leaders expressing support for the project include the mayor, police chief, superintendent of schools, Chamber of Commerce and business leaders, plus the chief executive officers and directors of the 42 stakeholder agencies and organizations. They see the project as playing an important role in promoting a strong community now and in the future, and ensuring a better work force and economy. In addition, they see the project as a way to give Yakima an opportunity to be known in the state for creating success and opportunity for its children (ESD 105, Oct. 2006, pp. 5-6). Existing programs and services. As noted above, there is a network of programs and services in Yakima with a good record of serving families. If expanded and coordinated in the East Yakima target area, these programs could become an important element of the project’s success.


II. Process for Developing the Plan In 2004 the School Readiness Partnership was formed to bring together interested early learning partners and the K-12 school system to begin discussing what needs to happen for early learning and the K-12 system to partner in the education of the child. The Investing in Children Committee was formed in January 2006 by organizations interested in coordinating and expanding services for children in Yakima County. These two committees, working collaboratively, invited the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to consider Yakima as a demonstration community. They then identified potential stakeholders to be involved in decisions about the project.

A. Formation and Choice of Intermediary Project stakeholders included organizations represented on the School Readiness Partnership and Investing in Children Committee, as well as business leaders and interested community organizations and parents. A total of 42 stakeholders were identified and met with Gates Foundation representatives and those of the newly formed public-private partnership, Thrive by Five Washington, to learn more about the opportunity. As a result, the Yakima representatives voted to take up the challenge of applying to be one of the Thrive by Five Washington demonstration communities. The next step was to choose the project’s intermediary. All stakeholders were invited to meet to review the applications of three agencies who had applied to be the project’s intermediary. Presentations by the three organizations occurred on August 31, 2006. The resulting vote was unanimous to ask Educational Service District (ESD) 105 to be the project’s intermediary.

B. Development of the Application and Business Plan To prepare the application and business plan, ESD 105 organized the project with stakeholders, a Board, Work Groups, Executive Director and, later, finance and support staff. Sylvia Severn, Ed.D., was hired as the interim Executive Director. The Board included representatives from business, health, law enforcement, philanthropy, education, licensed child care providers, parents and residents of the East Yakima target area. The Work Groups were formed by topic: Family and Parents; Perinatal and Infant/Toddler; Pre-School (3-5 years); Integrated Services; Professional Development, Philanthropic, Business and Communication; Data Management and Needs Assessment; and Facilities and Construction. Community members were nominated by the stakeholders for each Work Group, and the person receiving the most votes was selected as the chair of each committee. The ESD Superintendent, Dr. Jane Gutting, assumed the responsibility of working with community members to establish a governance structure supported by a nonprofit organization. More than 290 community members contributed directly to development of the business plan. Work Group chairs met every Monday for two to four hours from April through August to integrate input from each of the various groups. Parent representatives served at all levels in the development of the business plan. Two parent representatives were on the EYELI Board, on each Work Group and on each User Group. The parents were residents from the target area. In addition, an EYELI staff position of Parent Ombudsperson was created to advocate for and work directly with the parents to insure that their voices were heard throughout the development of the project. The Parent Ombudsperson also


worked with the parent representatives to develop a plan for involving more parents, so as to create awareness of the project, encourage sharing of ideas, and build a sense of community responsibility. The Parent Ombudsperson ensured that recommendations from the parent representatives on all aspects of the project were heard and responded to by the Board or appropriate Work Group, and were well documented. The CEO of the agency employing each work group chair agreed to that person’s participation, and the project reimbursed to that agency their staff time spent devoted to this project. The parents were paid for their time and mileage expenses. The time that the stakeholders, board members and work group members have devoted to the project has all been in-kind. The value of participants’ time for totaled more than $120,000 as of the end of July. Agendas and minutes of all Work Group meetings were sent electronically to stakeholders, Board and Work Group members to keep all participants abreast of how the plan was developing. In addition, to promote broad awareness and understanding of the project, the staff created EYELI Executive Summaries. These newsletters were distributed to all the stakeholders electronically and at meetings, and were posted on a special EYELI/Thrive Yakima page on the ESD 105 Web site (see: http://www.esd105.wednet.edu/AboutESD/Thrive.htm). The Executive Summaries also served as handouts when staff gave presentations at service clubs and the Chamber of Commerce.

III. Fundamentals The Thrive Yakima Board and Work Groups have developed the following statements to guide their work and the project’s development.

A. Vision and Mission Vision: Our children arrive at kindergarten school ready. Mission: We create sustainable, high-quality early learning and support for children, families and communities.

B. Values and Principles Core Values: Our core values will shape how we behave and the choices we make.

• Trust – Trust comes first. It is the cornerstone upon which the project is based. Trusting relationships among all of the partners must be created to form long-term relationships and achieve lasting success.

• Respect – We will treat each individual with respect, honoring the diversity of cultures, opinions, and backgrounds.

• Team Work – Creating meaningful change will require parents, care providers, agencies and the project team to work together as a cohesive team.


http://www.esd105.wednet.edu/AboutESD/Thrive.htm

Guiding Principles: The following principles will provide guidance for designing and implementing our programs.

• All families matter. Every family in the East Yakima target area with children under five will have an opportunity to participate in one or more of our programs.

• Parents are the first and most important teacher for the child. • Families will receive different levels of support depending on their needs and desires. • Families are capable. When provided with the right tools they can create their own

solutions. • We will take advantage of existing strengths within the community to build a lasting,

sustainable system of early childhood education. • Providing opportunities for all families means we will not exclude families on the basis

of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age or handicapping condition, sexual orientation, income or citizenship status.

• High-quality early learning is characterized by quality interactions between adults and children. We will create resources for (parents, families and friends, and early childhood educators including licensed childcare providers) to insure the highest quality education for young children

• We will be rigorous in our evaluation of programs and our commitment to improving programming based on that assessment.

• We will honor the child’s/family’s first language. • We keep our promises. We will function with the highest level of integrity. This also

means we will not over-promise. • Our programs are based on the hopes and dreams of families. • We will create change in our system of early childhood education that is deep,

meaningful, and transforms our community.

C. Goals and Outcomes The goals and outcomes for Thrive Yakima were developed by the Work Groups, first identifying broad goals, then desired outcomes for each. They then developed strategies to work toward these goals and outcomes. For their discussions, all the Work Groups used the following definitions:

• Goals: A broad general statement that describes a desired result that will be a relative improvement over some current situation. Goals are qualitative in nature.

• Outcomes: A short, intermediate, or longer-term change anticipated in participants’ lives, in an organization and/or community conditions. Describes the measurable results to be achieved, but not the activities or methods to be used.

• Strategies: A statement of direction that implies a cohesive set of activities designed to achieve a common result. Strategies can be programs, projects, plans, or activities that are often prioritized annually. They are action oriented, measurable, and generally applicable for 1 – 3 years.


Goals I. Parents* are valued and equipped as the first and most important teacher of their child. II. Children are healthy and meet their developmental stages. III. Families provide a safe, supportive home, nurturing strong relationships with their child from

birth. IV. Neighborhoods and communities support children and families with a friendly, safe

environment. V. High-quality early learning environments are promoted in all of the child’s natural learning

settings.** VI. The demonstration project created can be reasonably sustained and replicated operationally

and economically.

Outcomes Goal I. Parents are valued and equipped as the first and most important teacher of their child. Outcomes: A. Parents*/providers/family-friend-and-neighbor (FFN) caregivers have the information and

knowledge to effectively advocate for their children. B. Parents/Providers/FFN encourage and assist their child’s learning. C. Parents/Providers/FFN seek and participate in early learning environments that nurture and

support the family’s values and beliefs. D. Service providers understand the needs of families and embrace opportunities to support early

learning in children. E. Parents/Providers/FFN continue their own education. Goal II. Children are healthy and meet their developmental stages. Outcomes: A. Parents and early learning professionals successfully facilitate the development of children. B. Children receive nutritious food that promotes optimal health and development. C. Children have a medical home in which they receive comprehensive health care, including

preventative medical and dental check-ups, immunizations, and care for acute and chronic health problems.

D. Children have access to mental health services. E. Pregnant women are supported and access early prenatal care.

* Parents: Individual(s) parenting children. ** Natural learning settings: Playground, grandparent’s house, play groups, preschool, home, child care, park, grocery store, cultural event, arts event, sports event, riding on the bus, and many more


Goal III. Families provide a safe, supportive home, nurturing strong relationships with their child from birth. Outcomes: A. Parents/providers/FFN establish and maintain strong, healthy family relationships, taking into

account unique family dynamics. B. Parents promote strong social/emotional health in their children. C. Parents/Providers/FFN establish and maintain safe home environments. D. Parents teach and learn from one another. Goal IV. Neighborhoods and communities support children and families with a friendly, safe environment. Outcomes: A. Neighborhoods are safe places for children to play and families to live. B. Neighbors and families support and help each other. C. Community support services are accessible, respectful, and culturally relevant. Goal V. High-quality early learning environments are promoted in all of the child’s natural learning settings. Outcomes: A. Accessible high quality early learning environments serve all children including those with

special needs. B. Children transition successfully to kindergarten. C. Parent/providers/FFN have access to increased options for professional development. D. A professional development system for early learning is developed and implemented. E. Early learning professionals in the community are appropriately trained, compensated and

valued. F. The project components are based on high quality early learning models. G. Children in all settings will meet their developmental goals in all four domains:

social/emotional, cognitive, physical, and language and literacy, in order to be kindergarten ready. (Refer to the Expectations for Kindergarten Readiness.)

Goal VI. The demonstration project created can be reasonably sustained and replicated operationally and economically. Outcomes: A. Yakima is recognized as a place for high quality early learning. B. Sustainable funding streams are in place with public and private partners to support the short

and long terms goals of the demonstration project. C. Evaluation articulates successful components of the demonstration project.


D. System Change The Thrive Yakima Board and Work Groups recognize that improving school readiness calls for the joint and ongoing action of parents, early learning providers, schools, and community and civic leaders working together to create an integrated system for children’s learning and success. This idea is supported by researchers who have studied school transition (Pianta and Kraft-Sayre, 2003). The Thrive Yakima Board and Work Groups also recognize the importance of cultural awareness in enhancing the learning and success of the children in Yakima. We will develop an integrated early learning system that will ensure the respect and dignity for all people and cultures involved. Finally, the Board and Work Groups recognize that achievement of meaningful and lasting transformation will require systemic (not marginal) change in our system of early childhood education. Systems and communities are built on connections. The project will work to improve the connectivity of the target area internally and externally. The project will create systemic change in several ways:

• Build connections between home, child care providers and kindergarten. • Begin to develop a truly integrated early learning system—licensed providers, family-

friend-and-neighbor (FFN) caregivers, elementary schools, the school district and other service providers.

• Create and sustain a system of high-quality professional development that will support FFN care, licensed providers, home visitors, school district staff and other service providers.

• Provide a home visitor for every birth in the target area where the mother chooses to have this service.

• Create a focal point for early learning to provide resources for parents and families and increase awareness in the community.

• Carry out a communication strategy to inform the broader public and build public will to support a comprehensive early learning system.

• Continue to build the collaboration of the stakeholders who have developed this plan and will carry out the work.

• Commit to ongoing performance improvement to improve Thrive Yakima programs and the effectiveness of the system.

• Increase capacity communitywide to develop, implement and succeed with evidence-based and promising practices.


IV. Program

A. Overview Thrive Yakima will work toward its goals and mission by carrying out strategies in three broad areas:

1. Parents’ education and support; 2. Children’s early learning; 3. Professional development system;

These divisions are primarily to assist in understanding the plans. Together, the strategies form a coherent system. For example, professional development opportunities will be available to parents and FFN caregivers, as well as to licensed center and home child care providers. “Promotoras” (peer outreach workers), a strategy under Parents’ Education and Support, will help to connect families, FFN caregivers and child care providers in the East Yakima target area with all the project’s strategies. And two curricula for early learning will be introduced to parents, FFN providers and child care providers, and used at the project’s model early learning center (Educare). The strategies presented here are intentionally focused on the project’s early years. As the project gains experience in implementing the initial set of strategies, and through the project’s ongoing assessment (see Section VI), the staff and stakeholders may identify refinements and new programs or strategies to add. This section provides summaries of the strategies proposed by Thrive Yakima for the bridge period (September – December 2007) and near term (2008-09). See Figure 2 for an overview of these strategies. For the numbers served and cost per client, see Figures 5 and 6. For the budget for each strategy, see Appendix H. For an implementation timeline, see Section VIII. In addition, there are two initiatives that reach across all strategies and will be central to the success of the project: Collaboration and the Plaza.

Collaboration A central feature of this plan, and one of the important ways Thrive Yakima will promote system change, is to focus on building two types of collaborative relationships: (1) between parents and the providers of services, and (2) among organizations that serve children and families in the East Yakima target area. The purpose of these collaborative relationships is to create long-lasting, trusting relationships between the parents and providers, promote more effective and efficient delivery of services in the East Yakima target area, avoid duplication, participate in shared learning, and generally work as strategic partners to achieve what’s in the best interest of the families. Definition of collaboration. Collaboration is defined by Chrislip and Larson (1994) as a mutually beneficial relationship between two or more parties who work toward common goals by sharing responsibility, authority and accountability for achieving results. Successful collaborations are further described as having strong process leadership and an open and credible process. The result of effective collaboration is “a virtuous circle where the initial energy


invested into the collaborative fosters greater commitment to the process, and stakeholders continue to re-dedicate themselves and their resources to sustaining joint initiatives” (Hicks, Larson and Nelson, no date). Hicks, Larson and Nelson indicate that “collaborative initiatives that devote sufficient upfront time and energy to improving the quality of process employed and the capacity of individuals to enhance those processes are more likely to be successful, at least with respect to the sustained engagement of the individuals served by these programs.” Sustained engagement of a broad range of stakeholders is key to successful implementation of this early learning initiative. Another important aspect of collaborative relationships that Thrive Yakima is working to build both with agency stakeholders and target area parents is trust (see statement of project Core Values in Section III). Hicks, Larson and Nelson note that: “Those stakeholder groups which employed authentic process where stakeholders perceive they had equal standing were able to plan and implement the program in such a way that it had significantly lower attrition rates. Authenticity . . . refers to the perception that the decisions were being made by the stakeholders themselves, rather than influential or powerful people outside the process.” A collaborative approach will also allow families to receive a more comprehensive range of services without disruption. Collaboration is essential among the agencies providing programs funded by the project. But it is also important to build close working relationships with agencies that may not receive project funding but provide important services to families in the target area. The project will follow the Investing in Children Committee’s Collaboration Principles. See Appendix E. Existing community collaboration. Thrive Yakima will build on a successful history of collaboration in the community. Local agencies that deliver services on behalf of children and families are experienced in creating collaborations, as evidenced by successful community collaborations such as Children’s Village, KidScreen and Kids Connect. This project will take advantage of that experience among some of the partner agencies, and will break new ground in achieving a high level of engagement and collaboration with parents, FFN caregivers, and home providers in the East Yakima target area. Ways the project will build collaboration. Collaboration will be achieved using a number of means:

1. Collaboration is a core value of the Thrive Yakima project (see Values and Principles, “Team Work”). The commitment to this value will shape interactions at all levels of the project.

2. Through participation in the creation of this plan, parents and participating organizations have developed a common vision for early childhood education in the East Yakima target area. That common vision creates a shared set of goals, outcomes and strategies that all stakeholders will be working toward.

3. As Hicks, Larson and Nelson describe (above), the process used to engage stakeholders and for decision making is an important feature of collaboration. The governance structure described in Section V allows for frequent communication about program design and delivery, open and transparent decision making, involvement of stakeholders


at all levels of the project where decisions will be made, and involvement in program evaluation and assessment.

4. The project structure includes creation of several advisory committees that will enable parents and service providers to work together on issues regarding program design and implementation.

5. The project will build on existing community collaborations and create new ones as needed to carry out the strategies. For example, the project’s several home visiting strategies will be led by a Thrive Yakima Home Visiting Committee, with representatives from all home visiting programs providing services in the target area. This will build on the well-established Yakima County Maternal Health Home Visiting Consortium, which coordinates home visiting services for three programs in the county.

Creating a true culture of collaboration with parents in this low-income, traditionally underserved community will be a challenge. The project has established an excellent beginning with the involvement of parents in the development of this plan. But the ultimate success of the plan will depend upon Thrive Yakima’s ability to achieve a real collaborative relationship with parents. Staff and resources. In addition to the methods described above, the plan includes dedication of staff and other resources to engage parents in meaningful ways. One of the strategies described later in this Section is the development of a network of parent peers (“Promotoras”) who will conduct extensive outreach into the community. The Promotoras are a critical part of developing collaborative relationships with parents. In addition, the staffing plan described in Section V includes a Parent Ombudsman and Director of Parent Education and Support Programs who will help insure that parents are involved in meaningful collaboration.

The Plaza The project will establish a strong, visible presence in the East Yakima target area. Initially, the project will lease space in the target area, which will be the site for planning and active connectivity. The focal point for the project will be the “Plaza,” to be opened in Year 3, which will include a high-quality early learning center (Educare) and an early learning resource center for the community. Through both the program and building design, the Plaza will symbolize the open arms and open doors of Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington. (See the Educare strategy under D. Strategies for Children’s Early Learning, below, and the architectural program in Appendix G.) The Plaza is the starting point in creating an important, visible, early learning legacy for the future. The Plaza’s programs will be fundamentally relationship-based, a model for high-quality early learning. Not only will the Plaza include a model child care program, it will also be the location of resources for training and information for child care providers, parents and families. It will be a comfortable environment where adults and children are intentionally together and interacting. It will be a place where people meet to share and learn. It will also be connected to the neighborhood, both in its design and in partnerships. For example, the Plaza may include the Yakima Valley Libraries Early Learning Center, where children and their caregivers and parents will be surrounded by books, music, toys, puppets and


other materials in English and Spanish to promote early learning skills and create a language-rich environment. The Yakima Valley Library participates in the “Every Child Ready to Read Project” of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, which offers parent/caregiver workshops and tools to help prepare parents for their critical role as their child’s first teacher. These tools were developed by Dr. Grover C. Whitehurst and Dr. Christopher Lonigan, well-known researchers in emergent literacy, and have been tested and refined by library demonstration sites around the country. The library staff has been trained in using these tools. The Plaza will also offer referrals for health care and mental health, and child development screenings. After funding decisions are made, Thrive Yakima staff will work in Year 1 to identify appropriate resources and service providers to be located at the Plaza.

Initial Selection Criteria To select the specific strategies to pursue in the first three years of the project, the Work Group chairs developed the following set of criteria.

1. Does the service meet the needs of the target population? To answer this question, the planning group looked to the results from the parent and provider surveys and the needs assessment.

2. Is the strategy an early learning best practice? The Work Group chairs used the definitions for evidence-based practices, promising practices and intended positive outcomes from Yakima County Investing in Children (see below) and looked for strategies that met one of these levels.

3. Can the services and programs be easily implemented in Years 1 and 2, given the capacity available?

4. Do the strategies match the priorities of the funders? 5. Taken as a whole, does the set of strategies have depth and breadth across ages birth to 5,

and across interventions? Does the set of strategies create system change?

Research Basis for Strategies The following are the definitions for best practices that the Work Group chairs used to select the strategies for this plan. These come from Yakima County Investing in Children. See Appendix D for more detail. Intended Positive Outcomes – programs and strategies intended to positively impact outcomes based on theoretical evidence linked to the intervention. Promising Practices – programs and strategies that have some quantitative (and qualitative) data showing positive outcomes over a period of time but do not have enough research or replication to support generalizable outcomes. They do have expert consensus but have not been scientifically evaluated. (The majority of high-quality early learning programs/intervention fall in this category.) Evidence Based Practices – programs and strategies that have the following:

• Strong research design including randomized control studies; • Evidence of significant effects; • Program effects that are sustained after intervention ends;


• Multiple site replications, applied to different populations (rural, urban, different ethnic and economic levels); and

• Published research in highly regarded, peer-reviewed journals, which require top researchers to critique the findings before the articles are accepted.

(By this definition, very few early learning programs or interventions fall in this category.)



Figure 2. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington: Strategies Overview3 Strategy Ages and Numbers Served Per Year (based on Year 3)

Pregnancy 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years FFN

Child Care Providers

Promotora 800 Families Home Visitors: PAT 100 Families Home Visitors: EFS 336 Parents receiving Medicaid Home Visitors: NFP 75 1st-time mothers & partners Home Visitors: HIPPY 120 Families Home Visitors: PIPE curriculum 10 home visitors trained

Parent Clubs 215 Parents

Behavioral Health Services 167 Families, 80 providers Parenting Classes: Los Niños 90 Parents, 120 Children Parenting Classes: EBP 50 Parents Educational Programs: ESL 180 Parents

Pare

nts

Educational Programs: Spanish Literacy 180 Families

Educare (from age 6 wks) 184 Children

Creative Curriculum (from age 6 wks) 3,000 Children 100 Providers Early Literacy Curriculum 3,000 Children 100 ProvidersEarly Literacy Coaches

891 Children in licensed care; # FFN TBD; 100 Providers

Chi

ldre

n

Pre-Kinder Academy

325 Children

Professional Development System 100 ProvidersSpanish Literacy w/ early learning 25 Providers

I-BEST 30 Individuals in YVCC ECE programProf

essi

onal

D

evel

opm

ent

Scholarships 100 Prospective/Current Providers

3 For costs per client served, see budget sheets in Appendix H.

B. Strategies for Parents’ Education and Support Parents are the most important teachers of their child. In recognition of parents’ crucial role and to enable parents to choose the kind of help they want, this plan offers a large number of strategies for parents. In this plan, the word “parent” means any individual parenting children, including family, friends and neighbors (FFN). As noted in Section I, the EYELI parent survey found that 83 percent of the parents wanted help in preparing their children for kindergarten, and more than 50 percent wanted various forms of parenting information or assistance. To assist parents in finding appropriate resources, a network of peer outreach workers (“promotoras”) will be created to bridge the gap between needs and services. In addition, these services will be available to FFN caregivers in the target area, since many of them also have young children and/or have the same information needs as parents. The project will offer a variety of opportunities where parents can learn, in the home or with peers, about early childhood development and ways to help their children. These opportunities include home visits, clubs and classes. For an overview of the eligibility for each strategy, see Figure 3. While adult learning often calls to mind classrooms of people sitting in circles or rows, parents of the East Yakima target area have described their preference for learning opportunities in a close-to-home or home venue, such as the project's use of “natural learning settings,” that would be more intimate and involved, coupled with modeling of behaviors and participation or practice by the learners. Not only was this the parent participants' desired learning style, but it was also described as the best way to involve the fathers and men in children’s lives, an ongoing concern. The parents' careful search for the appropriate name to call this kind of learning was the impetus to the name “club.” Through this education and support, the project will partner with families to encourage them to make full use of their own strengths and resources, and show them how they can provide high-quality early learning so their children will be school-ready. They will see themselves as the first and most important teacher of their children. Parents who care for their children full-time will be more confident that their children can be school-ready. Parents who use child care will better understand the importance of that environment for early learning. The strategies for parents’ education and support will fill the project’s goals by:

• helping to better equip parents as their child’s first teacher (Goal I); • ensuring that children have healthy development (Goal II); • helping parents provide a supportive home and develop a nurturing relationship with their

child (Goal III); and • promoting a high-quality early learning environment at home (Goal V).

For the number of clients to be served and cost per client, see Figures 5 and 6. For the budget of each strategy, see Appendix H.


Washington Business Plan, August 2007 33

Figure 3. Eligibility for Parents’ Education and Support Strategies STAGES:

PregnancyParents as Teachers ESL

Spanish Literacy First Steps

Enhanced First Steps

Nurse Family Partnership

30 Families (To 2 mo. Postpartum)

Expand Home Visits up to 2 years of age

First time low income

mothers: Home Visits by

Delivery

Up to 15 DSHS Sponsored Home

Visits by RNs, MSWs, Dieticians

Up to 44 addl. completed

HV / Family:

Parent Clubs

HV frequency based on

family need336 Families

Club: Postpartum Depression

Behavioral Health

Services

Post-Delivery

Birth - 5 Years(Strength based)

Classes / Support Weekly sessions

50 Women

PIPE

Child's 1st Year

0 - 3 Years

Child's 2nd YearLos Ninos

Bien Educados

Effective Black

Parenting

Child's 3rd Year

Club: Strong Families HIPPY

3 - 5 Years

(3 - 5 Years)Groups to reduce

parenting difficulties

(Substance abuse, etc.), 75 Families

Home Visits3 - 5 Years

For children who may have difficulty

in school.Follow 3 years, 180

Families

Weekly Home Visits Family

can be followed for 5 Years60 Families

ALL FAMILIES ELIGIBLE

(Classes of 15)675 Parents

Home visits strengthening parent-child relationships(Curriculum

used with other home visit programs)

446 Families

LOW-INCOME CRITERIA HIGH-RISK CRITERIA

2 - 5 years(12 week classes)

90 Parents

2 - 5 Years(12 week classes)

50 Parents

Follow from pregnancy to 2

Yr.HV frequency

based on family need

100 Mothers & partners

(Stress, substance abuse,

domestic violence,

homelessness)

Thrive by Five Yakima


Promotora A new program is the backbone of parent engagement and participation. It lays the foundation for the core project values of trust and respect. Parent engagement and participation is critical to the success of the project. Engaging a “critical mass” will unleash the tremendous strength and protective factors by creating a network of family and community all focused on high-quality early learning and the success of all the children. The promotoras will be a community-based network of individuals who are connected to families in the East Yakima target area, are natural leaders, and have extensive knowledge about their community. Their principal goal is to build trusting relationships and to facilitate communication between parents, FFN caregivers, home care providers and those implementing many of the strategies included in this plan. They are a critical link connecting parents and Thrive Yakima programs, services, other resources in the community, and statewide programs, such as the Working Connections Child Care Subsidy. The promotora connection will also enable a process of immediate feedback as various project strategies are implemented, including access issues such as transportation and cultural competency. The Thrive Yakima Promotora Model will be defined and developed by the promotoras in collaboration with the Project Advisory Group and Thrive Yakima project staff.

The Promotora Program will: • Guide the promotora model development, implementation and refinement through

collaborative decision making process; • Provide a communication link between parents and project strategies, with the link being

both informal (face-to-face contact) and formal (electronic, shared database); • Contribute to project assessment and evaluation process through feedback and data; • Engage and motivate parent participation individually and in groups; and • Collaborate with service providers, project staff and project leadership regarding mutual

cultural competency.

Training for Promotoras will include basic child development and assessing family’s needs. The Promotoras will be paid for their time and to demonstrate the value of their commitment and the importance of their role. Ongoing program evaluation will provide information on appropriate staffing levels to ensure the opportunity for relationships to develop between Promotoras and families, as well as to follow up to ensure that families receive and benefit from services.

To support a system of resource and referral, an early learning service database will be developed for use by case managers. This Early Learning Information Tapestry will be similar to the medical tapestry currently being used successfully by Kids Connect. The Data Administrator and Promotora Supervisor will be responsible for data entry and access by Promotoras and partners. Each family in the system will have an identified primary case manager who will be the main point of contact for the family. While there will likely be multiple agencies and service providers involved with families, Thrive Yakima will strive to assure that care is coordinated and that we are not overwhelming families with overlapping or redundant services. In order to accomplish this, a primary case manager will be identified with input from the family. The primary case manager will be either a project staff member or community early learning staff person who has the primary relationship with the family. Examples of possible primary case managers in our model would include a Promotora, home visitor, nurse, family resource coordinator, or a family health advocate. It is our intent that the Promotoras will be the staff people with the responsibility to ensure that each family has an identified primary case manager.

The Promotora supervisor(s) will: (1) assist the Promotoras in clearly identifying the most appropriate primary case manager; (2) identify gaps in coverage; (3) resolve any disagreements and confusion about assignments; and (4) ensure the overall management of this process.

Goals it addresses: I, II, III, V

Why it’s needed: Addresses challenges of engaging hard-to-reach communities. Helps fill parents’ stated need for assistance preparing their children for kindergarten (83 percent), and to gain more knowledge about child development and early learning (more than 60 percent).

Research basis: Intended positive outcome. Demonstrated in the following research: The University of Arizona. (1998). The National Community Health Advisor Study. Study of a

“community health advisor” model for health care outreach and education concluded that health-seeking behaviors changed positively, that the service was cost-effective and that the culturally sensitive manner eliminated barriers to medical care.

Ramos, et al. (2001). “Environmental Health Training of Promotora in Colonias Along the Texas-Mexico Border.” American Journal of Public Health. 91(4): 568-70. Concluded that promotoras are effective educators because they relate better to peers than do outsiders, and provide culturally sensitive information that promotes community self development.

Watkins, E. and Larson, K. (1991) Migrant Lay Health Advisors: A Strategy for Health Promotion: A Final Report. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Colombo, Theodore J., et al. (1979). “The Effect of Outreach Workers’ Education Efforts on Disadvantaged Preschool Children’s Use of Preventive Services.” American Journal of Public Health. 69 (5), pp. 465-468.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Promotoras will have the same cultural background and speak the same language as their community. Builds partnerships within the community to serve families effectively. Model has been considered for diabetes health education by Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. La Casa Hogar has a long history of engaging the community; the proposed promotora model is a fit with the mission of LaCasa Hogar.

Who will lead it: La Casa Hogar and Thrive Yakima staff/committees. Thrive Yakima will work with La Casa Hogar to create supervisory responsibilities for the Promotora Program.

Home Visitors Home visiting is an essential component of the system of support for parents because these services provide professional expertise for parents who may not be able to access centralized services. For more than 20 years maternal child public health nursing has been provided by a public-private consortium of agencies in Yakima County. This collaboration has resulted in standardization of outcome measures, resource coordination, and leadership in assuring quality and competency of home visitors. This history of collaboration will enable the Project to build on existing partnerships and expand to include all home visitors in the target area. Meetings of the Yakima County Maternal Child Health providers have recommended intensifying the frequency and extending the duration of home visiting services, based on the research and the experience within the Yakima Community with such home visiting programs as Nurse Family Partnership. The home visiting services recommended for this project reflect the assessment, research and vision of providers participating in research-based planning for the Yakima community over the past three years.


Home visitor programs provide information, assessments or referrals on child development, health and early learning. To assure that every pregnant woman, new parent, and their young children and FFN caregivers in the East Yakima target area have the opportunity to avail themselves of home visitors, the project will provide funding to implement and expand the following programs: Parents as Teachers (PAT), Enhanced First Steps, Nurse Family Partnership (NFP), and Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), a successful program elsewhere not used currently in Yakima. These programs serve slightly different target populations and ages of children (see Figure 3). All home visitors will receive training in the Creative Curriculum, a supplemental early literacy curriculum and the Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) curriculum. These curricula will enhance home visiting services to improve cognitive and social/emotional outcomes for children.

The project will also coordinate some centralized resources, such as making interpreter services available to any of the home visiting programs. The nurse home visitors and other home visitors will receive support and training, and the ongoing practice of “reflective supervision.” Reflective supervision provides support for decision making in establishing therapeutic relationships, and providing services for high-risk, complex client cases. Research has shown that providing support through reflective practice provides an environment in which home visitors can practice solution-focused thinking and effective services to families. Reflective practice sets standards for staff competency and a commitment to mutual growth and empowerment. Supervisors of all home visiting programs in the target area will meet together on a monthly basis to assure coordination of training and services for families.

Goals it addresses: I, II, III, V. See Figure 4 for a logic model for Enhanced First Steps Program, as an example of how home visiting services will lead to the desired outcomes and goals.

Why it’s needed: Sixty (60) percent of children ages 0 – 5 years are cared for at home by parents, and another 23 percent by families and friends. Helps fill parents’ request for home visits (53 percent in the parent survey), and for help preparing their children for kindergarten (83 percent), and gaining more knowledge about child development and early learning (more than 60 percent). Children in the East Yakima target area are arriving at school for kindergarten unprepared to succeed. In addition, some of the home visiting programs help to fill a gap in health services for expectant mothers and young children in the target area. There are currently several home visiting programs that serve some families in the target area. However, these services are limited by the criteria of their funding sources and funding availability. This strategy is also one of the ways that project is addressing the parents’ challenge of finding transportation to get to services.

Research basis: NFP is evidence-based; PAT, Enhanced First Steps and HIPPY are promising practices. For Enhanced First Steps, Medicaid Health Status reports prove increase in access to early prenatal care, decrease tobacco use in pregnancy, decrease rates of low birth weight babies, decreased infant mortality rates and decrease in SIDS rates from 1990-2000.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: All the home visiting programs will be available in English and Spanish. Each program has a research basis showing that it will be effective in meeting the project’s goals. PAT research shows that PAT children enter school with increased readiness to learn, shown by performance on standardized reading and math tests in second grade and reduced remedial placements. Families followed by the First Steps program show: increased access to early prenatal care; and decreased rates of tobacco use in pregnancy, low-birth-weight babies, infant mortality and SIDS. The Enhanced First Steps program will


allow continuation of these services until a child’s second birthday. Intensive, long-term home visiting programs show improved child health and development, prevention of child maltreatment, and healthy parent-child attachments (Children’s Trust Identified Home Visiting Models, 2007). Nurse Family Partnership research outcomes include: improved prenatal health, fewer subsequent pregnancies, fewer childhood injuries, increased intervals between births, increased maternal employment and improved school readiness. HIPPY outcomes include higher scores on standardized tests and better school attendance, as well as greater parent involvement in the schools. PIPE outcomes include healthy parent-child attachments.

Who will lead it: A Thrive Yakima Home Visiting Committee will be formed to include all home visiting programs providing services in the target area to enhance collaboration and involvement in home visiting training. This builds upon a well-established practice in Yakima County among home visitor programs. Currently the Yakima County Maternal Health Home Visiting Consortium meets monthly to coordinate home visiting services for First Steps, Maternal Child Health and Nurse Family Partnership programs in Yakima County. This consortium includes Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Children’s Village, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, and Yakima Neighborhood Health Services. Sample Logic Model Figure 4 is a sample logic model showing how Enhanced First Steps will help to achieve some of Thrive Yakima’s desired outcomes. Similar logic models will be developed for other Thrive Yakima strategies as implementation plans are developed. For more detail on each of the home visiting programs, see Appendix F.



Figure 4. Sample Logic Model for Home Visiting Services

Enhanced First Steps Program4

INPUTS ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS Resources Activities & Programs

Funding: DSHS/DOH First Steps Program. Established, collaborative First Steps providers.

Multidisciplinary Team: PHN, MSW & RD. Community Partners: WIC Services, Medical Providers, Dental Providers, DSHS, Hospitals, CWCMH, Parenting Support, YWCA, SA Treatment Services, EPIC Early Headstart, Perinatal Community Task Force Collaborative Leadership: Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Yakima Neighborhood Health, and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic

Provide professional assessment, education, and referrals to pregnant, postpartum, and parenting women and their families Provide culturally appropriate service in language of patient choice Support parent behaviors that increase school readiness (PIPE) Identify client strengths; assist client to set goals to improve individual and family life course Participate in Yakima Co. Maternal Child Home Visiting Program Collaborative Collect data for program evaluation Participate in Performance Improvement projects and assure quality of the program Determine impact of program on families served Evaluate program outcomes and share results statewide.

All First Steps program staff trained in relationship based, client goal focused model. All First Steps staff trained in PIPE and Creative Curriculum. Ongoing data collection and evaluation of program Performance improvement methods in place High level of client retention High level of client satisfaction Program results disseminated

OUTCOMES

Community Results Improve individual and family life course, and the health of our community.

IMPACTS

Decrease child abuse and neglect Increase self-sufficiency of mother and family Improved child readiness for early learning

Improved child health and development Increased nurturing and attachment behavior (Source: WCPCAN identified Evidence Based Program) Increased maternal educational attainment Improved parent-child interaction

4 Sample logic model. Similar logic models will be created for other Thrive Yakima strategies as implementation plans are developed.


Parent Clubs (support groups) Create parent “clubs” in the East Yakima target area to provide opportunities for parents and FFN caregivers to meet together with a facilitator to address specific needs, and provide mutual support among parents facing similar challenges. Groups meet at a regular time and place, and can be for a specific period of time or ongoing. Topics in Year 1 will include Strong Families (parents who are experiencing parenting difficulties) and Postpartum Depression (which affects 20 percent of women giving birth). Additional clubs will be added as determined by needs of families. Thrive Yakima will coordinate with organizations that facilitate the groups, and identify sites for and promote the groups.


Why it’s needed: Responds to the needs that parents identified to increase their knowledge and skills in parenting (62 percent), and have regular opportunities to meet with other parents with similar interests. Parents/postpartum women who develop a support system and coping skills are more responsive to incorporating successful infant bonding and early learning strategies.

Research basis: Intended positive outcomes

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Parent and postpartum support groups are currently offered successfully in the Yakima area. The groups will be named as “clubs” since this term is generally more culturally accepted than “support groups.” For example, instead of Postpartum Support Group, the name might be New Mothers Club.

Who will lead it: To be determined by Thrive Yakima in concert with partners.

Behavioral Health Services Low-income families are more likely to experience high levels of stress known to impact a child’s early learning environment. Thrive Yakima will work with local licensed providers of children’s behavioral health services to hire counselors and develop services that will be integrated into all parent support and children’s early learning strategies. Children and families at risk will be identified through the implementation of many of the Thrive Yakima strategies (i.e., home visitors, Educare, parenting classes, etc.). The counselors will play four roles: (1) raise awareness of the impacts of stress on a child’s ability to learn, and work with program staff to implement reflective supervision techniques, enabling identification of children and families in need of support; (2) provide consultation and reflective support to early childhood staff and Promotoras to increase their skills in effectively assessing and linking families to mental health services; (3) provide short-term counseling, helping children and families identify positive coping mechanisms; and (4) provide referrals to and assistance in securing longer-term counseling as needed to all three current providers of publicly funded mental health services to children and families who provide services in the target area. The counseling services will be provided in Spanish and English for families in the East Yakima target area.

The first year of implementation will require planning activities with local area providers and the State DSHS. The three current providers will be involved in identifying gaps and needs in behavioral/mental health services in the target area over the first two years of project. Information will be compiled on any gaps in family and/or child counseling, and/or treatment services. This new assessment information will then be utilized to plan for services needed in

Year 3 of the project. In addition, the planning will need to assist in coordinating a plan for high-risk families dealing with substance abuse, domestic violence and homelessness. Through the engagement of Triumph Treatment Services and the YWCA, a plan to address the coordination of care for families experiencing these specific needs will need to be developed. The planning activities will take advantage of the success of a local group of providers, “SIESTA” (Serving Individuals to End Serious Trouble through Agency Support) and a pilot program currently underway in Yakima to evaluate the effect of high-intensity case management and behavioral health counseling services for 40 high-risk families. This planning group will review the research on effective models for enhancing early learning for high-risk families.


Why it’s needed: Approximately 45 percent of target area households are living below the federal poverty level, typically placing high levels of stress on those families. Strategy also responds to the desire of 61 percent of parents surveyed to be offered parenting tips in the home, and to 46 percent who had concerns about how their children behave.

Research basis: Intended positive outcomes. References: • Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of

Children and Families. Policy Paper #3. Ready to Enter: What Research Tells Policy makers About Strategies to Promote Social and Emotional School Readiness Among Three- and Four-Year-Old Children, p. 4. “It is critical to provide early childhood teachers with training and access to help in dealing with the numbers of children experiencing or at risk for emotional and behavioral problems”

• Tableman. (1998). “Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders” in Cohen & Kaufmann, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. 2005 Series. Volume 1. “The earlier the intervention begins, the better the prognosis. Early childhood providers have indicated that the most helpful types of assistance to support them in caring for children with challenging behaviors are: (1) on-site consultation with a mental health provider, (2) workshops on behavior management strategies, and (3) written materials on behavior management strategies.”

• The Child Mental Health Foundation & Agencies Network. A Good Beginning; Sending America’s Children to School with Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed.

• KidSCope (1998). KidSCope Outreach Services, Presentation at Training Institutes: “Developing local systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families in a managed care environment.” Georgetown Child Development Center, Washington, DC.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Parents and families will be engaged as full participants and their needs will be respected. Services will be provided in a linguistic and culturally acceptable manner.

Who will lead it: Coordinated planning over the first year by Yakima County, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health and Catholic Family and Child Service, all current providers of child behavioral health services. Yakima County Community Services will lead the initial planning effort.

Parenting Classes Expand one existing and create one new program in the target area (Los Niños Bien Educados, and Effective Black Parenting) that provide culturally sensitive classes to help parents and FFN caregivers build their skills and knowledge about parenting, relationship building, coaching, and ways they can help their children learn and grow. Parenting classes will be provided, as much as possible, in a club-like atmosphere of support. Los Niños and Effective Black Parenting are essentially the same parent education curriculum but are packaged to be respectful to the


important cultural differences in these populations. As noted above, the East Yakima target area is 57 percent Hispanic and 3 percent African American. Because of the differences in population size, there would be many more sessions offered of Los Niños than of the Effective Black Parenting. The number of sessions during a year will grow during the life of the project.

During the project’s first year, there will be a developmental process to create better connections with both of these populations, using a developed system of information carriers, such as the Promotoras and the Home Visitor programs. This process, and the project’s overall, ongoing needs assessment, will inform the preparation for the parenting classes, their numbers, needs and interests. In Year 2, the project will connect with organizations such as the Southeast Community Center (long associated with the African American population) and area churches, as well as community members, to gain their participation in the classes.


Why it’s needed: Helps to meet parents’ stated need to increase their knowledge and skills to help their children develop and get ready for kindergarten (83 percent), by promoting nurturing relationships with the child and increasing parenting skills. The East Yakima target area is a very diverse neighborhood, with 57 percent of the residents being Hispanic (all races), 3 percent African American, 49 percent white, and 44 percent other/multiracial. More than half of the children removed from their homes by the state in Yakima come from the target area.

Research basis: The programs are promising practices.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Parenting classes have been sought by 83 percent of the parents in our East Yakima survey to provide for the learning and social/emotional needs of their children prior to their entry to kindergarten. The survey revealed core family values of love for children and the desire for children to have best opportunity for success in learning. Parents of the East Yakima target area carry an overwhelming burden of physically demanding employment, low wages, high costs of housing and their own lack of education (60 percent reported they have not graduated from high school). Parent work group planning participants asked that educational opportunities be offered to parents among friends and neighbors in close-to-home venues that are casual and will engage more husband/father participation. Children who have emotionally available parents/caregivers learn more and are more psychologically stable. Los Niños has been used successfully in Yakima.

Who will lead it: Los Niños is currently being offered by multiple agencies. In the target area these agencies will be asked to come together and develop a plan for enhancement of their program services. Effective Black Parenting will be a new program. Organizations within the target area will be asked for their interest in providing this program.

For more detail on each of the parenting classes, see Appendix F.

Educational Programs Provide continuing education to parents and FFN caregivers so they are better able to help their children learn. The initial focus will be on English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish Literacy. ESL classes are currently provided sporadically at three to four locations in the target area; the project will expand the existing offerings to serve the needs of target area parents. The ability to use basic English communication, both oral and written, is a survival skill for parents, who are also the moderators and models of survival and success for their young children. In


addition, many parents are not literate in their first language, so that they frequently need an opportunity to work at varying levels on both languages at the same time. Parents and caregivers who are literate are much better able to help their children learn language and pre literacy skills.


Why it’s needed: Helps to fill parents’ stated desire to help their children get ready for kindergarten (83 percent), by continuing the parents’ own education. This strategy addresses survey findings suggesting that 75 percent speak Spanish in the home, and that 60 percent don’t have a high school education.

Research basis: Learning the language of the environment is a fundamental survival skill needed for success in the community; ESL classes are long-standing methods to address this need and to compress learning as efficiently as possible. The CONEVyT model for Spanish literacy is a promising practice.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: This population of parents has expressed the need for classes established in proximity to where they live, with a variety of hours for the instruction, child care and incentives provided. This is a high-density area with a high need population for language skills. Parents involved in developing this plan have indicated that they need help within a program that helps in tracking and celebrating their own progress, such as through a “passport” that indicates progress along a continuum of learning, or certificates acknowledging benchmarks achieved. Parents also indicate that motivators to continue learning for their community would include modest door prizes or take-homes, as well as drawings for a more significant award at each learning session. The CONEVyT model is being successfully used in Kennewick to provide Spanish language classes to parents.

Who will lead it: To be determined. Thrive Yakima will work with its partners to determine lead responsibilities. La Casa Hogar and Yakima School District currently offer ESL classes, the school district offers CONEVyT (Spanish literacy).

For more detail on each of the educational programs, see Appendix F.

C. Strategies for Children’s Early Learning Overview Children need high-quality early learning experiences, starting at birth, in order to be ready for success in kindergarten. Children who enter kindergarten behind in literacy skills are the same children who are not reading at grade-level in third grade. Of the 3rd graders who are not reading on grade level, 74 percent remain behind for the rest of their school life. A 2004 survey of kindergarten teachers in Washington state found that less than half of all children beginning kindergarten were ready to make a strong start in school. For children from low-income households, the challenge was even greater—only 25 percent were school-ready (OSPI, 2005). But high-quality early learning opportunities make a difference. Children who live in circumstances that increase their risk of school failure—poverty, low maternal education, maternal depression and other factors that limit access to opportunities and resources—are much more likely to succeed in school if they attend high-quality early education programs (National Research Council, 2000).


Improving Quality. For these reasons Thrive Yakima will focus on improving the quality of early learning for children in the target area in all their “natural settings.” High-quality early learning is characterized by the quality of the interaction between the child and the caregiver, and is possible at any place children spend their time: at home, with Grandma, at child care, at preschool, etc. High-quality early learning programs should be built around all areas of a child’s development—physical, social/emotional, learning approach, cognition, and language and literacy. Increasing Care Options. The EYELI Parent Survey indicated that many families with children aged birth through 5 years would like to have their children in formal (licensed) child care. Thrive Yakima will add some high-quality child care through the Educare center (see below). In addition, the first years of Thrive Yakima will address the need for increased child care opportunities by including FFN or other unlicensed care providers in all professional development activities. See C. Strategies for Professional Development, below. Providing support and education for parents and FFN caregivers may reduce the assumption that formal care is the only way for children to receive high-quality early learning experiences. In addition, in the early years of Thrive Yakima, there will be further assessment with parents to gather more detailed information on why they would like additional formal care options. This assessment will include focus groups with families and qualitative data collected through service providers in the community. Based on this assessment, Thrive Yakima may add the development of additional child care slots to the overall community plan in Year 3 or later. Goals. The strategies for children’s early learning will fill the project’s goals by:

• helping to better equip parents as their child’s first teacher (Goal I); • helping families provide a supportive home and nurture strong relationships with their

child (Goal III); and • promoting high-quality early learning environments in all of the child’s learning settings

(Goal V). For the number of clients to be served and cost per client, see Figures 5 and 6. For the budget of each strategy, see Appendix H.

Educare Provide a state-of-the-art early learning center at the Plaza, to offer year-round, comprehensive, center-based early developmental child care, education and integrated services to low-income children and families. The model includes high teacher-child ratios; special focus on early literacy and language, and on social/emotional development; parental involvement; and high staff qualifications and ongoing professional development. Thrive Yakima EPIC and the Yakima School District will jointly will operate this center and will insure that parents are integrated as partners in their children’s learning. The learning center will serve as a model for other current or future centers. The power of Educare lies in the core program features, which are consistent with the goals, strategies and values reflected throughout this plan. These key features will be monitored during implementation of Educare in Yakima. These core features are:

• Use research-based practices and strategies;


• Implement reflective supervision and practice throughout the program; • Maintain small class size and high staff/child ratios; • Maintain high staff qualifications and provide intensive professional development; • Offer family support services onsite to support parents in increasing their effectiveness in

their relationships and interactions with their children, and in effectively meeting their children’s health, developmental and educational needs;

• Implement an interdisciplinary approach by building effective teams among supervisors, teachers, family support specialists, other staff, consultants and families;

• Provide strong emphasis on social–emotional development to promote school readiness; • Provide enhances focus on learning and literacy; • Integrate the arts into the program to support social-emotional, language and literacy

development; and • Start early—emphasize prenatal services.


Why it’s needed: Helps to fill the needs for more high-quality child care in the East Yakima target area and for helping parents learn how to assist their children’s development and school readiness. Sixty-three (63) percent of the parents surveyed stated that they would prefer to take their child to a preschool program or child care center.

Research basis: Intended positive outcomes

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Fifty-eight percent of the parents/caregivers surveyed in the target area said they want more options for preschool education. Has been implemented successfully in other low-income areas. Cultural competency is one of the core program features. Provides employment opportunities for parents.

Who will lead it: Thrive Yakima, EPIC and the Yakima School District will begin planning during the bridge period (September-December 2007) and into Year 1 (2008) to determine the structure, financing, and decision making for full implementation of the Educare model. A joint “financially focused” site visit to Educare will be completed with all three organizations represented. Together these three key agencies will develop an implementation plan for Years2 and forward.

High-quality early learning curricula Introduce/expand use of two different curricula in a variety of settings throughout Thrive Yakima programs, including home visitors, parenting classes and support groups. Creative Curriculum is a comprehensive, scientifically-based curriculum that has been shown to improve the cognitive, social/emotional outcomes in young children. The philosophy of this curriculum is designed around a family centered, developmentally appropriate approach to early learning. The curriculum endorses a balance of child directed and teacher directed activities, and includes components for preschool teachers, center based child care providers, home based child care providers and parents who care for children aged birth to 5 years. Further, the Creative Curriculum philosophy promotes an increase in the quality of interaction between the child and the caregiving adult, which supports the goals of this project. A supplemental early literacy curriculum to be chosen will provide a model for high-quality early learning. The curricula can be used in a variety of settings, including Educare and other early learning providers, family


child care, with home visitors, and early literacy coaches (see strategy below). The project will train all care providers, early literacy coaches, home visitors and parents in the target area. In addition, early literacy coaches will support the Creative Curriculum through an imbedded professional development model in the homes and centers of the providers, providing mentoring and modeling of the curriculum. A partnership with the Department of Early Learning will help identify licensed providers who are interested in the training. Classes using the Creative Curriculum and the early literacy supplementary curriculum will provide support to the care providers as well as access to the STARS credit required to keep their license current. Promotoras (see strategies for Parents’ Education and Support, above) will identify FFN and parents who will access this education and support through trained home visitors and literacy coaches. Thrive Yakima will provide funding for curricula, training and materials.

Goals it addresses: I, II, V

Why it’s needed: A large percentage (60 percent) of target area children are not school-ready when they enter kindergarten. Most area licensed home care providers (86 percent) are not currently using a curriculum to provide educational activities. Sixty (60) percent of target area parents surveyed did not have a high school education. The consistent use of these curricula will promote high-quality learning environments for all children.

Research basis: Creative Curriculum is an evidence-based practice (Abbott-Shim, Martha, 2000. The Sure Start Effectiveness Study: Final Report).The project will seek an early literacy curriculum at the level of promising practices.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Research has found that when used in preschool programs with low-income children, the children made statistically significant gains in vocabulary, pre-literacy and social behavior. Curricula use bilingual materials. Research has also found that low-income children often experience delays in oral language development. Systematic, explicit instruction in the area of phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge for children aged 3–5 years has proven to overcome these delays and provide opportunities for literacy success in kindergarten. A supplemental early literacy program would address this need. Materials will be bilingual.

Who will lead it: To be determined by Thrive Yakima in collaboration with Yakima School District and other project partners.

For more detail on each curriculum, see Appendix F.

Early literacy coaches Assist early learning providers in the community, including FFN caregivers, home visitors and preschool teachers, to learn strategies to promote early literacy in order to improve the quality of early learning they provide. Coaches will mentor and model for providers in an imbedded professional development model, as well as train participants during STARS and early childhood education classes using the Creative Curriculum and supplementary early literacy curricula as a basis for instruction. Coaches will collect data on children’s progress toward goals and share this information with providers, helping them to adjust weekly planning, instruction and activities accordingly. In addition, coaches will mentor and support providers in coordination with local colleges in the area of career planning, in order to assist them in obtaining the necessary certificate or degree.



Why it’s needed: Addresses the large percentage of target area children not school-ready when they enter kindergarten, and the low level of formal education of many of their parents and care providers. Providers and parents in the target area have expressed an interest asked for support in preparing children in their care for kindergarten.

Research basis: Evidence-based practice (National Implementation Research Network)

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: The provider and parent surveys showed that more than 80 percent strongly desired support in preparing the children in their care for kindergarten. Coaches will mentor and support those working directly with children, which will help to increase the level of quality. Bilingual, bicultural staff will be recruited. Coaches will personalize instruction to the needs of the community.

Who will lead it: To be determined by Thrive Yakima in collaboration with Yakima School District and other project partners.

Pre-Kinder Academy Expand the existing Pre-Kinder Academy for children about to enter kindergarten, which only 26 percent of the pre-K children in the target area were able to attend this year. Children in this program attend school in the morning for three weeks in their home school and in their assigned kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten teachers visit their homes in the afternoon or evening. Teachers also visit with their students’ child care providers to gather more information, which will be used for early learning goal setting for the children. Thrive Yakima will provide funding for the teachers and classroom paraprofessionals to participate, as well as transportation costs to ensure adequate attendance of all target area children. In addition, there will be added effort to develop a strong relationship with families and care providers of incoming kindergarteners.


Why it’s needed: Addresses the large percentage of target area children who are not school-ready when they enter kindergarten, and makes important connections between home, child care and school. The child care provider survey found that half of centers and less than half of licensed home care providers had contact with local schools, and 60 percent or less had information about what children need to know for kindergarten. Forty (40) percent of parents surveyed listed transportation as part of the help they need to access early learning opportunities.

Research basis: Promising practice. A body of evidence is building that underscores the importance of creating transitional mechanisms and practices in order to sustain and build on children’s social, emotional, and academic competencies. Transition to kindergarten “should be understood in terms of the influence of contexts and the connections across these contexts at any given time and across time” (Pianta, Rimm-Kauffman, & Cox, 1999). Results of the National Head Start Demonstration evaluation also suggest that local commitments to effective transition demonstrated at local sites appear to combat the “fade-out effect” with respect to student achievement. Although children in the demonstration entered school below national averages in reading, between the fall of kindergarten and the spring of first grade, scores in reading rose rapidly up to near national average. See:


o Pianta, R. C., Rimm-Kauffman, S. E., & Cox, M. J. (1999). “Introduction: An ecological approach to kindergarten transition.” In The Transition to Kindergarten. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

o Marielle Bohan-Baker and Priscilla M. D. Little, Harvard Family Research Project. (April 2002). The Transition to Kindergarten: A Review of Current Research and Promising Practices to Involve Families. [email protected]

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Used successfully by Yakima School District. There have been increases in DIBELS scores for most of the children participating in the current program.

Who will lead it: Yakima School District

D. Strategies for Professional Development System Overview The partners in Thrive Yakima believe strongly that professional development is essential for everyone who cares for and teaches children—early learning professionals, including child care providers, along with FFN caregivers and parents. More than 80 percent of the parents in the East Yakima target area care for their own children or have the help of a relative. By making professional development available to parents and FFN caregivers, the project stakeholders are hoping to attract them into the profession, increase the number of licensed providers in the neighborhood, and make affordable, high- quality care more available. FFN caregivers will be encouraged to view licensing as a desirable progression for professional development as an early childhood provider. Professional development opportunities are structured as a progression from very basic education (Spanish literacy) to more advanced, so unlicensed providers who participate may access professional development offerings at a level they determine is appropriate for them. All early learning professionals, whatever their qualifications, must continue to incorporate into their work with children and their families new knowledge and skills. Some training opportunities and college classes are currently available, although many do not meet the educational or language needs of the target population. Also, merely having training available does not necessarily mean that early learning professionals are being well-trained and educated to serve children. As previously described there is currently a “scatter-shot” approach to training and a lack of quality assurance. What is needed, and what this plan provides, is the creation of an effective system of professional development (Goal V). This comprehensive approach will:

• Provide a continuum of education and training for care providers and early learning professionals from entry-level to experienced, so that education and training at one level progresses to the next level.

• Assess what education and training is available, and what is needed to provide a core set of information and skills for all.

• Assure that the education and training itself is of high quality, and takes place at times and places that people from the target area can attend.

• Reach out to licensed home providers, FFN caregivers and parents to understand their training and education needs, and match those needs with the appropriate resource.


http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/about/bios/marielle.html

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/about/bios/priscilla.html

mailto:[email protected]

• Assess funding available for education and training, and advocate for additional funding sources.

For the number of clients to be served and cost per client, see Figures 5 and 6. For the budget of each strategy, see Appendix H.

Create a Professional Development System Implement a comprehensive, well-coordinated professional development system to meet the needs of the target community parents, providers and professionals for high-quality preparation and ongoing training in early childhood education. This system will fill a significant gap by engaging education and training programs/providers, coordinating the current disparate offerings, increasing access to training, and encouraging a commitment to quality both on the part of professional development providers and early learning professionals. Elements of this strategy include: partnerships with higher education, the Yakima School district and training providers; a trainers’ committee that will create a community training calendar and quality assurance mechanisms/agreements; and a cadre of professional development advisors/coaches to develop individual professional development plans for early learning providers and parents. In addition, the project will (for the first time in this community) devote staff resources to create a team that will design and manage this new system of professional development.

Goals it addresses: I, V, VI

Why it’s needed: The child care provider survey showed that the average educational preparation of licensed home providers is 8th grade, with a quarter having less than a 6th grad education. The parent survey showed that 60 percent of parents in the area do not have a high school degree. Success in school is linked to high-quality early learning opportunities, which are linked directly to the preparation of early learning providers and parents. Children in the target area need access to high-quality early learning opportunities in their natural learning environments. There is no such comprehensive system currently in place in Yakima.

Research basis: Promising practice. See N.C. Institute for Professional Development in cooperation with the N.C. Division of Child Development and N.C. Partnership for Children, Planning for Professional Development in Child Care: A Guide to Best Practices and Resources http://www.ncchildcare.org/best.pdf

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Eighty-five (85) percent of the home care providers surveyed said they are interested in receiving additional training or education. There is a high demand for these services. The system of professional development will provide opportunities that meet the varied needs of providers and parents. The professional development program will provide classes and coursework in Spanish and in English.

Who will lead it: Thrive Yakima

Spanish Literacy with Early Learning Offer Spanish literacy training to child care providers, including licensed home providers, FFN caregivers and parents, using the CONEVyT model with an early childhood education component. The Spanish literacy curriculum covers basic reading, writing and arithmetic content, set in the context of problem solving in daily life. An added ECE component will enrich this curriculum. Thrive Yakima will develop and implement this training in conjunction with partners.


http://www.ncchildcare.org/best.pdf

Goals it addresses: I, V

Why it’s needed: In addition to the parent survey findings, the provider survey found that the average education completed by licensed home providers is 8th grade, and 82 percent of home providers are monolingual Spanish-speakers. There is a link between literate adult role models and the acquisition of early literacy skills. Caregivers who are literate are much better able to help children learn language and pre-literacy skills.

Research basis: Promising practice

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Currently being used successfully in Franklin County through a project with Washington State University and the Department of Early Learning’s Kennewick office. Yakima School District in partnership with the Mexican Government trains people throughout Washington state to use CONEVyT. Staff from the proposed Professional Development Team will work with the Yakima School District and the Tri-Cities partners to create and implement these classes.

Who will lead it: The lead will be determined collaboratively by Thrive Yakima and partner organizations.

I-BEST Include Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) with the early childhood education (ECE) classes required for Yakima Valley Community College’s (YVCC) Instructional Assistant (Preschool and Infant/Toddler) Certificate programs. High-quality early learning is linked to the quality and preparation of the teacher. I-BEST combines literacy education and workforce skills, in this case pairing an ECE instructor and a basic skills instructor. Adding I-BEST will provide additional support for students who wish to pursue an ECE college degree, but lack the basic skills to do so. Pilots in 10 community colleges have shown that I-BEST students are 15 times more likely to complete workforce training than students who are required to complete Adult Basic Education or English as a Second Language classes before entering workforce training. I-BEST certificate strands will be offered yearly. Adding I-BEST will provide additional supportive measures for students who are pursuing the first of a series of ECE college certificates at Yakima Valley Community College, but lack in basic skills to competently complete the certificates or be able to proceed further in the ECE program. Thrive Yakima will work with the YVCC basic skills and ECE departments to develop this program, and will fund the additional instructors needed.


Why it’s needed: The child care provider survey showed that the average educational preparation of licensed home providers is 8th grade, with a quarter having less than a 6th grade education; 83 percent are monolingual Spanish speakers. Seventy-six percent of target area adults over age 25 do not have a high school diploma. Sixty percent of the parents/caregivers surveyed in the East Yakima target area did not graduate from high school; 75 percent speak Spanish at home. High-quality early learning settings are linked to the preparation of the teacher. With additional ECE training at the first level of college certificates, the parents, child care providers, relatives and/or FFN caregivers can provide higher quality early learning opportunities in children’s natural learning environments. The Instructional Assistant certificate is the beginning of college professional development in our community.


Research basis: Promising practice. Reports from National Research Council such as Eager to Learn (2001) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods (2000). Planning for Professional Development in Child Care: A Guide to Best Practices and Resources http://www.ncchildcare.org/best.pdf. Also refer to NAEYC website for references on teacher preparation: www.naeyc.org.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Piloted successfully by Yakima Valley Community College. Cultural diversity is integrated throughout the early childhood education classes.

Who will lead it: Thrive Yakima and Yakima Valley Community College

Scholarships for Professional Development Provide scholarship money for child care providers, parents and FFN interested in early childhood education to take STARS training and the classes needed for a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Recipients of scholarships would need to agree to participate in an educational assessment and creation of a professional development plan for early childhood education.


Why it’s needed: The EYELI parent survey showed that 60 percent of the target population does not have a high school diploma; the provider survey found licensed home child care providers’ average educational preparation is 8th grade. Reimbursement for STARS classes is available for licensed child care providers up to $100 per year as funds are available. However, the provider must cover the costs until receiving reimbursement, and must completely cover any cost over $100. Many providers, as well as parents and FFN who are not reimbursed, do not have sufficient funds to attend quality trainings.

Research basis: Evidenced based. Documented results in Best Practices & Resources from the North Carolina Institute of Professional Development.

Why it will work in the East Yakima target area: Seventy-five (75) percent of the target population and 83 percent of providers are Spanish speaking. Trainings and classes will be taught in Spanish and English.

Who will lead it: Thrive Yakima


http://www.ncchildcare.org/best.pdf


Figure 5. Strategies Cost per Client – Near-Term Period SUMMARY OF NUMBERS SERVED & COST PER CLIENTNEAR -TERM PERIOD - YEARS 2008 & 2009THRIVE BY FIVE YAKIMA WASHINGTON

STRATEGY NAMES PARENTS CHILDREN PROVIDERS COST PER

SERVICE CLIENT PARENTS CHILDREN PROVIDERS COST PER

SERVICE CLIENT Strategies for Parents Education and Support

Strategy 1: Promotora 400 $ 555 800 $ 535

Strategy 2A: Home Visitors – Parents as Teachers (PAT) 80 $ 1,500 80 $ 2,000 Strategy 2B: Home Visitors – Enhanced First Steps 100 $ 2,066 200 $ 1,898 Strategy 2C: Home Visitors – Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) 25 $ 7,458 50 $ 4,972 Strategy 2D: Home Visitors – Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) - Planning only in YR1 0 $ - 60 $ 1,749

Strategy 2E: Home Visitors – Parents in Parenting Education (PIPE) (Numbers served are agency staff trained) 20 $ 527 20 $ 729

Strategy 3: Parent Support Groups (Clubs) 80 $ 131 205 $ 82 Strategy 4: Behavioral Health Counseling- Planning only in YR1 0 $ - 100 40 $ 1,953

Strategy 5A: Parenting Classes – Los Niños Bien Educados Program 90 120 $ 114 90 120 $ 114

Strategy 5B: Parenting Classes – Effective Black Parenting (Starts YR2) 0 25 $ 320

Strategy 6A: Educational Programs for Parents – ESL 135 $ 318 135 $ 318

Strategy 6B: Educational Programs for Parents – Spanish Literacy 135 $ 318 135 $ 318

Parents Education and Support -SUBTOTAL 1045 120 20 $ 768 1880 120 60 $ 847 Strategies for Children’s Early Learning

Strategy 7: Educare (Note 2) 0 184 $ 9,046 Strategy 8A: Curricula – Creative Curriculum (Note 3) 103 $ 429 104 $ 106

Strategy 8B: Curricula – A Supplemental Early Literacy Curriculum 103 $ 388 104 $ 135

Strategy 9: Early Literacy Coaches 100 $ 3,237 100 $ 3,164

Strategy 10: Pre-Kinder Academy 325 $ 508 325 $ 508 Children’s Early Learning - SUBTOTAL 0 325 306 $ 1,489 0 509 308 $ 2,657

Strategies for Professional Development SystemStrategy 11: Create a Professional Development System 50 $ 6,115 100 $ 3,417 Strategy 12: Spanish Literacy with Early Learning 25 $ 8,256 25 $ 8,016 Strategy 13: I-BEST 15 $ 4,820 30 $ 4,820 Strategy 14: Scholarships for Professional Development 100 $ 500 100 $ 500

Professional Development System - SUBTOTAL 0 0 190 $ 3,339 0 0 255 $ 2,889 TOTAL 1045 445 516 $ 1,239 1880 629 623 $ 1,485

CY 2008 CY 2009NUMBERS SERVED NUMBERS SERVED

NOTES:1) Costs based on the Summary of Strategies Budget Schedule2) Educare expense for 2008 is for planning; 2009 is planning and supporting opening in temporary quarters in 9/093) Creative Curriculum is offered to 100 providers and 3 coaches in YR1; 100 providers + 4 more coaches in YR2; 100 providers/YR in YRS 3+

Figure 6. Strategies Cost per Client – Intermediate Period SUMMARY OF NUMBERS SERVED & COST PER CLIENTINTERMEDIATE -TERM PERIOD - YEARS 2010-2013THRIVE BY FIVE YAKIMA WASHINGTON

CY 2010

STRATEGY NAMES PARENTS CHILDREN PROVIDERS

COST PER SERVICE CLIENT PARENTS CHILDREN PROVIDERS

TOTA


T

TA


COST PER SERVICE CLIENT

Strategies for Parents Education and Support

Strategy 1: Promotora 800 $ 609 800 $ 615 800 $ 615 800 $ 615 Strategy 2A: Home Visitors – Parents as Teachers (PAT) 100 $ 2,000 100 $ 2,000 100 $ 2,000 100 $ 2,000

Strategy 2B: Home Visitors – Enhanced First Steps 336 $ 1,878 336 $ 1,878 336 $ 1,878 336 $ 1,878

Strategy 2C: Home Visitors – Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) 75 $ 4,823 100 $ 4,906 100 $ 4,906 100 $ 4,906

Strategy 2D: Home Visitors – Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) 120 $ 1,254 180 $ 1,121 180 $ 1,121 180 $ 1,121

Strategy 2E: Home Visitors – Parents in Parenting Education (PIPE) (Numbers served are agency staff trained) 10 $ 181 10 $ 181 10 $ 181 10 $ 181

Strategy 3: Parent Support Groups (Clubs) 215 $ 78 215 $ 78 215 $ 78 215 $ 78

Strategy 4: Behavioral Health Counseling 167 80 $ 1,585 167 80 $ 1,585 167 80 $ 1,585 167 80 $ 1,585

Strategy 5A: Parenting Classes – Los Niños Bien Educados Program 90 120 $ 114 90 120 $ 114 90 120 $ 114 90 120 $ 114 Strategy 5B: Parenting Classes – Effective Black Parenting 50 $ 320 50 $ 320 50 $ 320 50 $ 320

Strategy 6A: Educational Programs for Parents – ESL 180 $ 315 180 $ 315 180 $ 315 180 $ 315 Strategy 6B: Educational Programs for Parents – Spanish Literacy 180 $ 315 180 $ 315 180 $ 315 180 $ 315

Parents Education and Support -SUBTOTAL 2,313 120 90 $ 949 2,398 120 90 $ 989 2,398 120 90 $ 989 2,398 120 90 $ 989

Strategies for Children’s Early Learning

Strategy 7: Educare 184 $ 20,017 184 $ 21,274 184 $ 21,274 184 $ 21,274

Strategy 8A: Curricula – Creative Curriculum 100 $ 111 100 $ 111 100 $ 111 100 $ 111

Strategy 8B: Curricula – A Supplemental Early Literacy Curriculum 100 $ 140 100 $ 140 100 $ 140 100 $ 140

Strategy 9: Early Literacy Coaches 100 $ 3,365 100 $ 3,365 100 $ 3,365 100 $ 3,365

Strategy 10: Pre-Kinder Academy 325 $ 508 325 $ 508 325 $ 508 325 $ 508

Children’s Early Learning - SUBTOTAL 0 509 300 $ 5,204 0 509 300 $ 5,490 0 509 300 $ 5,490 0 509 300 $ 5,490

Strategies for Professional Development SystemStrategy 11: Create a Professional Development System 100 $ 3,606 100 $ 3,606 100 $ 3,606 100 $ 3,606

Strategy 12: Spanish Literacy with Early Learning 25 $ 8,368 25 $ 8,368 25 $ 8,368 25 $ 8,368

Strategy 13: I-BEST 30 $ 4,820 30 $ 4,820 30 $ 4,820 30 $ 4,820

Strategy 14: Scholarships for Professional Development 100 $ 500 100 $ 500 100 $ 500 100 $ 500

Professional Development System - SUBTOTAL 255 $ 2,998 0 0 255 $ 2,998 0 0 255 $ 2,998 0 0 255 $ 2,998

TOTALS 2,313 629 645 $ 2,054 2,398 629 645 $ 2,120 2,398 629 645 $ 2,120 2,398 629 645 $ 2,120

NUMBERS SERVED

CY 2013

NUMBERS SERVED NUMBERS SERVED

CY 2011

NUMBERS SERVED

CY 2012

NOTE: Costs based on the Summary of Strategy Budget Schedule.



E. Partners

Stakeholder Agencies Thrive Yakima stakeholders already offer important programs and services to some members of the East Yakima target area. The project will work with stakeholders to expand these services so they are widely available in the target area to interested parents and child care providers. See the Acknoledgements on page ii for a list of stakeholders.

Goal for a Safe Environment To address Goal VI (Neighborhoods and communities support children and families with a friendly, safe environment.) Thrive Yakima will partner with an existing community program—Citizens for Safe Yakima Valley Communities. This local group of business and civic leaders, government officials, law enforcement representatives, and citizens has organized a community-wide, collaborative effort to establish the Yakima Valley as one of the most safe, diverse and clean places to live, raise a family and run a business in the state of Washington. The purpose of this organization is to offer residents and local organizations a method and venue where they can work together to achieve this objective for themselves and future generations. Citizens for Safe Yakima Valley Communities includes 60 local leaders. They share a belief that by forming an alliance and working together, the community will reduce lawlessness, and make the Yakima Valley safe. Yakima Mayor David Edler chairs the group. The Yakima Chamber of Commerce provides staff support for the effort and serves as the organization’s fiscal agent. The Thrive Yakima project will offer partial support of Citizens’coordinator position with an agreement that Citizens will work within the East Yakima early learning initiative to accomplish Goal VI. Citizens for Safe Yakima Valley Communities has increased the number of block watches, provided summer jobs for at-risk kids, successfully lobbied to change laws and policies related to auto theft and gang prevention, and are financing an anti-illegal-drug-use media campaign. The organization’s goal areas that directly align with the Thrive Yakima’s and have promise for developing outcomes specific to the east Yakima neighborhood include:

• Conduct community-wide youth forum; • Organize “open space” Hispanic forum; • Provide leadership education; and • Recruit and include Hispanic business and civic leaders in neighborhood safety strategies.

V. Infrastructure Successful implementation of Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington will depend upon the development of an effective governance and management structure for the project. A good initial model has been established during the planning phase of the project and the intent is to learn from the experience of the past year and build upon and improve that model. To date the project has successfully involved a broad range of parents, community leaders, early childhood experts, educators and care providers, and an administrative team to support the work of this strong partnership. The ongoing structure for the project must continue to create significant roles for each of the stakeholders, and ensure the successful implementation and assessment of specific programs and the overall evaluation of the progress toward meeting the project goals. The creation of the proposed governance and staffing structure was guided by the following principles:

o Parents will be involved in meaningful ways at all levels of the implementation structure o Decision making must be transparent and fair o Project guidance will be provided by broad-based volunteer board oversight, with support

from dedicated project staff resources o Creation of an integrated system of services requires significant stakeholder involvement

in ongoing management and governance of the project o The continued involvement of those who developed the plan will provide continuity

between the planning and implementation phases of the project o Establish sufficient staff resources to move the project forward effectively, without

creating an excessive administrative burden on project finances o Staffing plan must insure financial and programmatic accountability o Utilize existing resources and expertise in the community. o The project structure should help build a broad base of community support that will assist

in attracting resources to sustain the project over time. The Thrive Yakima Board has the responsibility to strengthen the governance system by immediately creating letters of agreement to be signed by all partners, language for inclusion in contracts that reflect our values, a process for conflict resolution, and revisiting board responsibilities, including committees for finance and fundraising.

A. Structure The volunteer and staff structure for Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington is designed to strengthen this remarkable community collaboration that has begun. At its core, the structure of the project will enhance the power of the public and private sectors working together. The ultimate success of the project is dependent on the continued alliance between both public and private interests. Each stakeholder group will be involved at multiple levels of the organizational structure. ESD 105 will serve as the facilitator for this project. They will create the kind of community engagement and ownership that is essential for the long-term success of the project. The project’s Executive Director, three program directors and the communications director will be responsible for networking and building relationships at all levels. Figure 7 provides an organizational chart of the proposed structure.


Figure 7. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Organization Chart

Thrive By Five Yakima WAGovernance and Staff Structure

Thrive Yakima Board

Executive Director

ESD 105

HR

IT

Audit

Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee

Project Advisory Group

Data Administrator

Finance Manager

Parent Ombudsman

Development Director

Professional Development Director

Coordinator

Children’s Program Director Parent Education Director

Ad hoc Advisory Committees as needed

Communications

Administrative Asst.

Overall Policy Guidance Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Board. A community-based Board will be created to oversee the work on the project. The Board’s purpose, as defined in recently adopted by-laws, will be to “develop and manage a program designed to prepare all children within its program-defined area in Yakima, Washington, to arrive at kindergarten school-ready…” The Board’s membership will build on the partnerships created in development of this business plan, and will include at least twelve individuals representing the following interests: target area parents, local businesses, target area residents, education system, health care providers, law enforcement, licensed child care providers, and philanthropy. Parents in the East Yakima target area will comprise at least 10 percent of the membership of the board. The Board will meet at least quarterly. The Board will direct the implementation of the project through the ESD 105 Superintendent and the Thrive Yakima Executive Director. The Board will monitor the progress toward achievement


of project goals and outcomes, approve an annual operating budget for the project, raise funds and create a strategy for long-term sustainability, create and approve partnerships and cooperative agreements as needed, approve modifications to the project’s goals, outcomes or strategies, craft and monitor communication and community outreach strategies, and approve the selection of the Executive Director (who may be an employee of ESD 105). The Educational Service District 105 (ESD 105) Superintendent will serve as an ex-officio member of the Board. Educational Service District 105 Board. The ESD 105 will serve as the fiscal agent for the project. As such, the ESD 105 Board has the ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the project. Their role will be to insure that the project continues to be aligned with the mission and purpose of the District.

Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Staff Team Superintendent of ESD 105. The Superintendent has the authority to hire and organize ESD staff and establish community partnerships that advance the mission of the District. Employees of the Thrive Yakima project will be employees of ESD 105. The Superintendent will work in close collaboration with the project Executive Director to hire an effective project staff team, and to identify the appropriate level of contract staff support provided by existing ESD staff. ESD 105 will provide support for general administrative functions such as human resources, communications, information technology and the annual audit process. Project Executive Director. The Executive Director will serve as the lead staff, coordinating the work of the entire project. The director will manage the project’s administrative and program staff, support the work of the Thrive Yakima Board, and serve as the lead liaison with funders and the local community. The Executive Director will work with the Board on developing and implementing fundraising and communication strategies for the project, and conduct state and regional outreach to affect needed change in early childhood education policy. The Executive Director has a dual reporting relationship, reporting to the Thrive Yakima Board and to the ESD 105 Superintendent. Project Administrative Staff. The project will utilize several administrative staff positions to support the work of the project. These positions will include two administrative assistants, a finance manager to oversee the various grant requirements and contractual commitments, a data administrator to make sure that data is collected uniformly and in a manner that will facilitate assessment and evaluation of all program activities, a parent ombudsman to provide support for the parents involved at all levels of the project, and a development staff member to work with the Executive Director and the Board to pursue new revenues to help insure long-term sustainability of the project. Program Management and Development. The project will hire Program Directors to guide the work in the three broad policy areas described in Section IV: Parent Education and Support, Children’s Early Learning, and Professional Development. The Directors will have responsibility for implementing the strategies in their topic areas and building collaboration in these areas. They will develop recommendations for initial program implementation, coordinate services among various program partners, monitor implementation, and develop recommendations for program modifications or new programming based on the results of program assessments, and


overall project evaluation. For example, the Professional Development Director will be responsible for creating the comprehensive system of professional development described in Section IV. They will create and manage the partnerships between Thrive Yakima, colleges and universities, the Yakima School District, and early childhood education providers. The Professional Development Director will also, along with the Professional Development Coordinator, establish a system of comprehensive, well coordinated training. All of the Director positions will be full time and will report to the Executive Director.

Advisory Committees Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee. As described in the next section (Section VI), this committee will advise the Executive Director on the development of a comprehensive system of data collection and program assessment. Since one of the project’s guiding principles is to be “rigorous in the assessment of programs”, this committee will play a critical role in guiding the development of the systems for that work. The committee will also review the evaluation work conducted by Mathmatica and provide comment to the Executive Director regarding that analysis. Committee membership will build on the excellent work of the Data Management Work Group created to develop this plan. Membership includes individuals from the public and private sector with experience in data collection and management, development of systems to track measurements and outcomes, and program evaluation and assessment. The Data Administrator, mentioned above in the description of Project Administrative Staff, will provide staff support for this advisory committee. Project Advisory Group. One of the many strengths of the process used to develop the business plan was the selection of eight outstanding individuals to serve as the Chairs of the work groups. Collectively this group provided a wealth of knowledge about early childhood education and about the greater Yakima community. They represent a broad range of public and private interests. Because of their thorough understanding of this plan, it will be helpful for the Executive Director to utilize their advice and counsel as the project moves forward. This group can also assist the Director and the ESD 105 Superintendent to create some of the collaborations that will be needed to achieve an integration of services for East Yakima residents. Ad Hoc Advisory Committees. From time to time the Executive Director and her/his staff may need to convene small groups of stakeholders to assist in resolving an issue or developing a recommendation. These committees may be short-term or long-term in nature, and will provide the project with valuable expertise in a variety of fields. Several examples have already been identified. A Home Visiting Committee will be formed to include all home visiting programs providing services in the target area to strengthen collaboration. A Professional Development Advisory Committee will be established to provide advice on the creation of the new system of professional development.

B. Creating Systemic Change As noted above in Section III, Thrive Yakima aims to create systemic change. This will occur through the project’s strategies (described in Section IV) and through the work of the Board, staff and Advisory Committees, described above. Figure 8, below, represents Thrive Yakima’s vision for how true system change will occur.


Governance structure. The Thrive Yakima Board, as the policy oversight body for the project, will use as a measurement of success the ability to create systemic change for the families in the East Yakima target areas. Board membership includes key partners needed to achieve that goal. Dedicated staff resources. The dedication of Thrive Yakima and ESD 105 staff resources will create the necessary focus on system change. Staff will develop operational and administrative systems that support this goal, and will work closely with partners to insure the development of a truly integrated system of services. Continuous quality improvement. The fundamental purpose of the plan for ongoing assessment and evaluation is to evaluate both the overall progress of the strategies as a whole, and the success of individual strategies. Based on the results of the overall evaluation and the program-specific evaluations, improvements will be made to achieve system change. The new management information system will be key to the success of continuous quality improvement. Cross-Cutting Strategies. There are several strategies that cut across the three broad categories of strategies described in the plan (i.e., Parents’ Education and Support, Children’s Early Learning, and Professional Development System). These cross-cutting strategies help to create a coordinated system of change. They are:

• Plaza – The Plaza will serve as a focal point and resource center for early childhood education within the community. It will house multiple services and programs for families.

• Promotoras and Home Visitors – The combination of the Promotoras and Home Visitors will create an extensive outreach capability for Thrive Yakima that will enable the project to connect families to the full range of services and resources.

• Professional Development – The creation of a professional development system will provide resources for all early childhood care providers in the target areas: parents, FFN caregivers, home licensed providers and child care center staff.

Figure 8. Thrive Yakima Elements Creating System Change

Systemic Change

GovernanceStructure

Dedicated StaffResources

Continuous Quality Improvement•MIS System

Plaza Professional DevelopmentSystemPromotoras

Cross-cutting Strategies

Home visitors


C. Facility

Interim Facility During the initial implementation of the project (years one and two) Thrive Yakima will establish a physical presence in the East Yakima target area. The interim facility will not be a full scale project office, but it will create a family-friendly space that will be used to provide updates and status reports on the implementation of Thrive Yakima, provide meeting spaces for different programs to utilize (i.e., promotoras, parent support groups, etc.), and provide resources for parents, caregivers, and providers regarding services for early childhood education and development. The interim facility could also be used as a field office by partner agencies providing services in the East Yakima target area (e.g., home visitor programs), and as a space where program staff could meet to build the collaborative relationships necessary to create an integrated system of services. It will begin the process of providing a focus on, and building community support for early childhood education. A facility located in a target area neighborhood will serve as an invitation to the community to come and learn about the project. The interim facility will also provide a useful transition to the development of the Plaza. Since the Plaza won’t be developed until year three of the project, the interim facility will provide a location for community and project activities during the first two years.

Long Term Facility – The Plaza As noted above in Section IV, the project’s focal point is the Plaza, which will be a high-quality early learning center and an early learning resource center for the community. The Plaza is expected to be complete and ready for operation in Year 3. For the architectural program and plans, see Appendix G.

D. Communication One of the chief responsibilities of the Thrive Yakima Board and Executive Director is the development of a project communication plan. The purpose of the communication plan is to create local awareness about early childhood education issues, provide information to parents and providers about available programs and services (Thrive Yakima activities and other resources), promote the project’s accomplishments, and support the project’s work in fundraising and its ability to influence local and state policy development. The plan will encompass specific strategies for public relations, advertising, outreach and publicity. Community education materials will be developed in both English and Spanish. This work will also be supported by the ESD 105 Public Information Officer. The communication plan will create strategies that use traditional and nontraditional methods of communication and outreach. Traditional media will include an ongoing series of early learning informational pages in the Yakima Herald-Republic and the Spanish-language El Sol de Yakima newspapers, as well as informational materials for parents and potential funders. Radio and TV public service announcements will convey the project’s updates and mission to the community, and will serve as key resources in connecting with the crucial audience of families that do not have a high level of engagement in reading material.


Nontraditional community outreach will include identifying alliances with community-based institutions and organizations that can help disseminate information (i.e., churches, schools, clinics, hospitals, service providers, fire stations, etc.). Materials will be disbursed through the work of the promotoras, home visitors and parent work groups (see Section IV for descriptions of these programs). The plan will also include strategies for collaborating with partner organizations. The Thrive Yakima communication plan will explore utilizing existing communication channels used by partner organizations. Many organizations can involve their newsletters, Web sites, and other means of communication to promote awareness of Thrive Yakima. Similarly, the project’s communication materials can promote and inform stakeholders about the resources and accomplishments of its partners. Thrive Yakima’s communications will build on the Born Learning campaign, which ESD 105 has been leading in Yakima and Kittitas counties since 2006, as one of the state Department of Early Learning’s first Born Learning grantees. This public engagement campaign aims to provide information and easy-to-use materials to help parents and caregivers promote their children’s early learning, and to build public will to support improved early learning opportunities. As part of this campaign, ESD 105 has built a strong network of local service providers, child care providers, early learning teachers, schools, government agencies and community organizations, who share information and tools in support of early learning. As part of this campaign, ESD 105 has coordinated an extensive campaign of radio and television public service announcements, and made presentations to business and civic groups to bring the message of the importance of early learning to the widest possible audience. Thrive Yakima will coordinate with the Born Learning campaign in providing early learning information to the public. As Thrive Yakima gains experience regarding its successes and challenges, it will become a leader in Washington state on issues related to early childhood education. The communications strategies in our plan will include contacts with policymakers throughout the state to assist them in receiving ongoing information as policies are considered and adopted.

VI. Ongoing Assessment and Evaluation

A. Overall Evaluation Mathematica is conducting the overall evaluation of Thrive by Five Washington’s two demonstration communities, including Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington. This evaluation has been described in detail as comprising four separate studies (see the document “Overview of the Evaluation Plan for the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) Evaluation”). These four studies are:

o In-depth implementation study that will examine the characteristics of the ELI communities at baseline, and after one, three and seven years of implementation;

o A kindergarten readiness study; o Short-term impact studies of the most intensive, core ELI components; and o A long-term impact study.


B. Ongoing Assessment Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington will incorporate ongoing assessment into the project’s implementation phase in order to improve its programs and help to determine future intervention activities. This effort will be guided by an Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee. This Advisory Committee will advise and receive feedback from the funders and Mathematica. Components. The Thrive Yakima program evaluation and assessment activities will be made up of four broad components, two related to outcomes and two related to quality/fidelity:

1) Overall program evaluation conducted by Mathematica (described above). 2) Quality/fidelity evaluation of evidence-based practices

It is expected that a number of evidence-based practices that have a national evaluation component to track program quality and fidelity will be implemented as a part of Thrive Yakima’s plan. Thrive Yakima will make use of this information as is feasible, rather than trying to duplicate it locally. The purpose of this evaluation component is to ensure that continuous quality and fidelity data are fed back into the program operations to provide the opportunity for performance monitoring and improvement.

3) Quality/fidelity evaluation of other program components Not all the primary program components will be evidence-based practices that are connected with a larger national effort for program quality and fidelity. Therefore, Thrive Yakima expects t to develop a local quality/fidelity evaluation component for those programs that reach a substantial number of people. The purpose of this evaluation component is to ensure that there are continuous quality and fidelity data fed back into the program operations to provide the opportunity for performance monitoring and performance improvement.

4) Other outcome evaluation Thrive Yakima will add outcome measures to the extent that intermediate outcomes are identified that lead to school readiness and on which the project could reasonably gather data. Additional effort will include local outcome evaluation on a smaller scale that would address some program components not captured in the Mathematica evaluation. Depending on the specific interventions included in the 3rd Mathematica study described above (short-term impact studies of the most intensive, core Early Learning Initiative component), this evaluation component may or may not be necessary.

Data gathering. In addition, building on the Community Survey completed in the East Yakima target area in October 2006, the project will complete a similarly-structured community survey every two years during the course the project. Future surveys will include some questions that will remain constant throughout the duration of the project, so that progression in community perception may be measured. Some questions may be replaced in each iteration, in order to gain new information to drive future programming. Thrive Yakima will also collect additional qualitative and quantitative assessment data where more depth is warranted through a variety of methods, including parent focus groups, provider focus groups and information gathered by service providers. These methods, along with the survey, will help Thrive Yakima learn more about the families in the East Yakima target area, including why some families participate in the programs, and others do not.


Quality improvement. Thrive Yakima will develop a process for continuous quality improvement and gather data to support this effort. A process model will be chosen in the initial months of operation. Evaluation communication. Information about the evaluation data and findings will be provided to the Thrive Yakima Board and funders. Process/outcome data will also be provided to the Board and to service providers every six months. Advisory Committee. The Assessment and Evaluation Advisory Committee will advise the Thrive Yakima Data Administrator on establishing an ongoing assessment and evaluation system, both for the evaluation components and for continuous quality improvement. The following describes the elements of this system.

• A management information system will be developed for the project that meets the needs of the community and the staff, including secure online accessibility and interfacing with the software programs commonly-used by Washington school districts (e.g., Skyward).

• Data collection will include, but not be limited to: demographics, risk factors, interventions received, and intervention dosages, as well as outcomes for children, licensed providers, and FFN providers who have received interventions.

• Systems and protocols will be established for reporting from the data system. These reports will enable review in a regular, timely fashion the progress, accomplishments and challenges of children, licensed providers and FFN providers who receive services in the project, as well as regular review of project performance to drive performance improvement activities.

• Periodic adjustments will be made in established systems and protocols based on data analysis to improve service quality.

• Appropriate transmission and sharing of data (in compliance with federal standards) will take place among community collaborators to allow for complete, longitudinal data analysis of program effectiveness.

• A training system will be established to assure the quality of data entry. The Advisory Committee will:

• Review and provide input on planned evaluation and assessment data collection activities and timeline;

• Provide recommendations on supplemental evaluation and assessment data collection activities; and

• Provide input and interpretation of process and outcome evaluation and ongoing assessment data.

The Data Administrator, in consultation with the Advisory Committee and the service agencies, will form a Data Work Team comprised of paid staff from the service delivery agencies. This team will plan, coordinate, and carry out the details of data collection, feedback, and continuous quality improvement.


VII. Financial Implications and Funding

A. Planning Time Frames Planning for this 10-year project is organized in four periods:

• Bridge period, September – December 2007: This is the time period with the project’s infrastructure will be put in place – Executive Director and key staff hired, Board members seated, work groups organized, formal collaborations with other organizations set up. The intent is to put things in place so that the project can begin operating programs starting in 2008.

• Near-term, 2008 – 09: In this time period, many of the strategies outlined in this plan will be set up and get underway. The project will focus on developing relationships with families in the East Yakima target area and developing the collaboration of partners.

• Intermediate-term, 2010 – 13: In Year 3 (2010), the Plaza will open its doors. Other strategies will come up to scale with incremental increases to cover all target area children 0 – 5 years, their families, and early learning teachers in the area. In Year $, an evaluation will check on the project’s impact on kindergarten readiness. The assessment team may recommend changes in or additions to strategies.

• Long-term, 2014 – 17: Project assessment will be receiving data on outcomes, and will recommendation changes in strategies accordingly.

B. Budget Summary This business plan provides a proposed budget for the Thrive Yakima early learning program for the first two of the three timeframes described above (Near Term and Intermediate Term only). We have not defined budgets for the Long-Term period, as the detailed plans to drive the budgets for this period will not be developed until the data assessment process in the intermediate term has been completed. For the Near Term and Intermediate periods, the Thrive Yakima proposed budget is summarized in Figure 9, below. For strategy costs per client, see Figures 5 and 6, above. The Administration and Operations overhead portion of the budget has been detailed only for the Near-Term period in this summary. The plans upon which we will base the Intermediate Term overhead budget will be developed during the detailed planning activities over the next two years. Budget structure. The full budget presentation in Appendix H includes a summary schedule showing each of the strategies within the three major program areas: (1) Parents’ Education and Support, (2) Children’s Early Learning, and (3) Professional Development System. This schedule is divided into two sections, one for each of the two timeframes: near-term and intermediate-term.Each section is broken out by year. The Near-Term budget also includes a detailed Administrative and Operations Budget with related supporting schedules for staffing and general expenses in support of these activities. We have attempted to be particularly detailed in this near-term period. However, the precise nature and amounts of these expenses will, of course, ultimately depend on the final selection of specific strategies which are approved for implementation.


Budget assumptions. The assumptions that are unique to a specific strategy are documented in the notes and the supporting schedules which accompany each strategy. The primary general assumptions are as follows:

• Inflation: Thrive Yakima has chosen not to add inflation projections to this budget, and therefore all projections are in current dollars. In our opinion, the addition of inflation would have made it harder to track the budget detail. Also, the inflationary impacts on both revenue and expenses were deemed to be too hard to forecast at this stage, for this extra step to have added any reliability to the overall forecast. The only exception is in one instance where the most reliable source for basing the current projections was a historical standard. This exception is the budget for Strategy #2D - Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), where only 2005 figures were available for an estimating base. Therefore, an adjustment was made of 3 percent per year to derive an estimate of current dollar cost for this strategy.

• Personnel expenses and contracted resources: Many of the Thrive Yakima programs are planned to be accomplished through contracts with local agency partners. We believe that this is the most cost-effective approach for the program and recognizes the opportunity to build on the strong foundations that already exist. Therefore, many of our strategies will be executed by personnel added by our partner agencies versus being direct employees of Thrive Yakima. No direct staffing expenses are shown in the Thrive Yakima budgets for the strategies accomplished through contracts.

• Wage basis and increases: All salary and wage levels shown in the budget were established with consideration given to the individual job descriptions and the related level of skills and experience needed to adequately carry out the assignment. A search was conducted for the most relevant comparative pay scales to use in pricing out the positions. The pay rates selected were adjusted only for “time-in-service” increases based on the ESD 105 formula. That adjustment formula used throughout is a 7 percent increase in the year after initial hire, and a second increase of the same percentage in the year following.

• Revenue projections: Thrive Yakima has projected revenue (including In-Kind) only for three of the individual strategies - Promotora (Strategy #1), Behavioral Health Services (Strategy #4), and Educare (Sterategy #7). At this time, these are the only strategies for which we feel that we can be reasonably confident of obtaining access to public funding resources. The Promotora strategy revenue source anticipated is Medicare Administrative Match; the Behavioral Health source is from local mental health funding; and the Educare model is based on assumed new childcare slots (184 Total) funded by a mix of federal and state child care programs. Of these three, only the Educare facility is expected to generate significant revenues (beginning in September 2009). However, we intend to use the Bridge period and the first year of the Near-term period to aggressively identify and secure commitments for additional funding streams in cooperation with our partners. There will also be a continuing effort to increase and diversify these streams in concert with the grantors and our local partners as the program moves into the Intermediate term (including the QRIS-related funding).


• Plaza capital budget and ownership: Based on consultations with the grantors, the Educare management and architects, and Thrive Yakima’s architect and its Facilities and Construction Work Group, the decision was made not to submit a capital budget with this plan. All parties agreed that it would not be timely or relevant to submit a capital budget for the Plaza without first obtaining guidance from the grantors in regard to the strategies that would be approved for inclusion in the overall Thrive Yakima program, and specifically defining which programs and services will have their space requirements met in the Plaza. As soon as the scope of the Plaza can be defined, it will then be possible to determine the approximate footprint of the building and the related acreage requirement. Thrive Yakima then plans immediately to begin the search for an appropriate site (subject to grantor acquisition approval). A recommendation for the most appropriate ownership assignment for the Plaza will also be made to the Grantors as soon as the site size requirement is established and the other siting criteria have been defined. This ownership decision is expected to have significant budget implications both in the construction phase and for the operational cost structure. Detailed budget proposals will be submitted for approval as soon as reliable estimates of all related capital and Plaza operational costs can be assembled. The Plaza operational costs are partially reflected in the Educare model, but only on a very preliminary percentage of costs basis derived from the experience of other Educare centers. This is more fully explained in the Educare strategy’s detail budget in Appendix H.

• Start-up impact on administrative and operational expense level: The expense level reflected in the Administration and Operations budget for the first two years is significantly increased by a variety of one-time costs. This impact includes such items as establishing temporary quarters in the target area, with the necessary infrastructure, equipment and support services, and the costs of recruiting, hiring and initial training for the personnel needed to finalize the planning and implementation of the many strategies within the Thrive Yakima program.

See Figure 9 for a snapshot summary of the Thrive Yakima budget. For more budget information see Appendix H.



Figure 9. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Budget Summary (2008-2013)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

STRATEGY EXECUTION BUDGETS

Strategies for Parents Education and Support 1,033,540$ 1,979,217$ 2,716,555$ 2,926,587$ 2,926,587$ 2,926,587$

Strategies for Children’s Early Learning 1,066,178 2,464,078 4,778,064 5,040,627 5,040,627 5,040,627

Strategies for Professional Development System 720,113 836,170 867,626 867,626 867,626 867,626

TOTAL STRATEGY EXECUTION EXPENSE* 2,819,831$ 5,279,465$ 8,362,245$ 8,834,841$ 8,834,841$ 8,834,841$

LESS ANTICIPATED PUBLIC FUNDING 277,752 1,253,745 2,974,450 2,975,695 2,975,695 2,975,695

TOTAL STRATEGY RELATED NET FUNDS REQUIRED 2,542,079$ 4,025,720$ 5,387,795$ 5,859,146$ 5,859,146$ 5,859,146$

ADMINISTRATION & OPERATIONS* 1,661,365 1,894,918 TBD** TBD** TBD** TBD**

TOTAL FUNDS REQUIRED FOR OVERALL PROGRAM 4,203,444$ 5,920,637$

NOTES *Includes Indirect Costs** Administration & Operations expense budgets to be determined during 2008/2009 timeframe for the 2010-2013 period

THRIVE BY FIVE - YAKIMA, WASHINGTONFOR THE SIX YEARS ENDING 12/2013


C. Philanthropy and Sustainability It is important at the beginning of a project such as this to make a realistic assessment of how it might be sustained over time. The Philanthropic, Business, and Communications Work Group has focused on this topic. The chair of this Work Group is Anne Caffery, President/CEO of The Memorial Foundation. Anne has been in fund development for 30 years. She conducted community campaigns for the Hult Center for the Performing Arts; United Way of Lane County, Oregon; KYVE/PBS, Central Washington; and the campaign to build Children’s Village in Yakima. Along with Anne, the Communications Committee and leaders from the community who now serve on the Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington Board offer the following thoughts.

Local Funding Climate The largest campaign locally has been Heritage University. But since the scope of the University’s case is played on the national stage, the largest share of the campaign is coming from outside the area. Recent local campaigns include the Yakima Valley Museum and EPIC Place, both having achieved well under $2 million each. The campaign to build Children’s Village 10 years ago raised $5 million dollars, with well over half of the dollars coming from outside the area. Annual fund-raising efforts locally are fierce and plentiful. Our local United Way consistently struggles to reach annual goals. Capital campaigns currently being conducted include the Capitol Theatre, YWCA Women’s Shelter, with soon-to-launch campaigns for YMCA and Hospice, and Children’s Village expansion. These campaign expectations are under $5 million each and have well-established donor constituencies. The local fund-raising environment is competitive and cooperative at the same time. Nonprofit managers are acutely aware that all “the ships must stay afloat.” We are careful to “take our place in line” as we queue up for capital campaigns, and we help each other with scheduling and conducting our annual fund-raising efforts. Thrive Yakima will need to take its place in line, as well, and be sensitive to the other ongoing local efforts. The Board will need to make a strong case for support, and overcome the possible perception of the project having an outside funding source. The Educare projects that we have studied all had large single donors/foundations backing them in significant ways. We do not have the expectation of having a singularly involved local donor/foundation. We hope to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Thrive by Five Washington as our “local” cornerstone, much as the Buffett Foundation was in Omaha for the Educare center there. In our efforts to assess our fund-raising potential responsibly and recommend an amount that we feel our community could commit to, the Work Group offers the following:

o Our estimate is that we cannot expect to raise more that $1 million to $3 million locally for the first Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington fund-raising effort, relying on funding from outside the area for much of the needed funds. Even this may be too high depending on the timeline required.

o We will need to contract with a professional fund development organization to conduct an environmental analysis, feasibility study, and to make fund raising recommendations.

We have made budget recommendations to accomplish this. Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington must make a strong case to the community and conduct an exceptionally strong public consent campaign and an equally strong communication program to cultivate community donors. This will take time. With no fund development infrastructure in place, we will need to hire or contract with a development professional to build and sustain a donor cultivation and solicitation program.

Sustainability All partners will work to assure effective use of existing early learning funds and that we have not supplanted current services. We will leverage new funds to strengthen services as they become available. For example, in the 2007 Washington legislative session, all-day kindergarten was fully funded. This has allowed the Yakima School District to redirect their Initiative 728 funds from all-day kindergarten to early learning. Yakima School District will use these funds to hire the Children’s Program Director (Educare program), an administrative assistant, one early literacy coach, two family support specialists, and funds to lease program space from Thrive by Five – Yakima, Washington’s Plaza. The early literacy coach funded from this grant will no longer be needed in the future because we will be building capacity among providers to train their peers. Integrated services, such as the Children’s Library, will also lease space and provide staffing to sustain programs available beyond Educare. Further, we plan to set up our Promatoras program so that they may qualify for Medicaid administrative match. The state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) funds dedicated to our demonstration community will help to underwrite professional development, and provider support and incentives to attend training. Currently many child care providers are not aware that they can qualify for financial aid when they enter degree programs. Our system will help providers complete their high school equivalency diploma (GED) so they can qualify for associate and bachelor’s degree programs. By strengthening our own local, high-quality child care providers, we will make affordable childcare available to parents into the future. Our goal is to put together a seamless, high-quality, early learning system for underserved children by aligning childcare programs currently funded through multiple sources and to create a high-quality early learning center that will serve as a model demonstration site for training. Through the course of this project, by learning what works best to help children be ready for kindergarten, we hope to inform public policy for future early learning funding. Through the cooperation of EPIC and other partners, we intend to compete for additional ECEAP and Early Head Start slots, and any other publicly subsidized programs that may become available in the future. Funds requested in this proposal will support the research and development in building the systems of professional development, data management, assessment and evaluation, and the early learning center (EduCare). Also, it is assumed we will need to identify private partners to invest in this high-poverty neighborhood into the future.



VIII. Timeline Area Activities

Year 1 (2008) Staffing 1. Hire Executive Director, program directors and support staff. Governance 1. Develop memorandums of agreement for all partners and contracts for

service providers. 2. Develop conflict resolution process.

Structure 1. Move to a temporary Thrive Yakima site in the East Yakima target area. 2. Identify Educare building site. 3. Complete Educare building plans. 4. Develop management information system.

Program Activities

1. Finalize selection of Plaza auxiliary services and provider selection process. 2. Promotoras: Develop logic model, selection criteria and Early Learning

Information Tapestry System. 3. Home Visitors:

a. Hire home visitors. b. Create system to access interpreter services. c. Begin training on “reflective supervision.” d. Conduct a scope and sequence review of programs to identify

commonalities. 4. Parent Clubs:

a. Conduct needs assessment. b. Engage parents in review of existing programs aligned with identified

needs. c. Identify gaps in services and work with partners.

5. Behavioral Health Services: Conduct needs assessment to identify gaps in services.

6. Parenting Classes: Conduct needs assessment in target area to identify gaps in service, numbers of classes needed, and parents’ interests.

7. Educational Programs: Launch CONEVyT Spanish literacy. 8. Educare: Agreement between Thrive Yakima Board and Ounce of

Prevention Fund and Buffett Early Childhood Fund. 9. Curricula and Literacy Coaching: Launch early literacy coaching with

home visitors based on Creative Curriculum and Partners in Parenting Education.

10. Pre-Kinder Academy: Expand to 325 children in target area’s three elementary schools.

11. Professional Development: a. Create a scope and sequence of current classes available and

identify gaps in service for school readiness. b. Create professional development advisory to develop articulation of

Area Activities project classes with higher education and STARS.

c. Work with Department of Early Learning and Thrive by Five Washington to develop the QRIS

d. Develop application process for child care providers, parents and FFN for access to STARS and CDA.

Year 2 (2009) Structure 1. Complete construction of Plaza. Program Activities

1. Promotoras: Trained services available. 2. Home Visitors: Sign joint agreements based on criteria for working across

all models. 3. Parent Clubs: Connected with Promotoras and Thrive Yakima staff. 4. Behavioral Health Services: Finalize plan for a system of behavioral health

services needed in the target area. 5. Parenting Classes: Create partnerships with neighborhood organizations

and churches to offer parenting classes developed in Year 1. 6. Educational Programs: CONEVyT and ESL classes fully operating in target

area. 7. Educare:

a. Begin hiring and training staff at end of Year 2. b. Signed contractual agreements for braided funding with partners. c. Identify eligibility criteria for children and a registration process.

8. Curricula and Literacy Coaching: Expand coaching to parents and FFN through parent clubs and Promotora contacts.

9. Professional Development: Create individual learning plans for use with providers in the new articulated professional development system.

10. Auxiliary Services at Plaza: Sign contracts and memorandums of understanding with identified Plaza partners.



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